| Initial Variations |
£13.00 |
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Ken's latest solo album. This latest peice of work is totally instrumental, and though it features mainly steel strung acoustic guitar it also includes the sound of the classical guitar, dobro, mandolin, 5-string banjo, and even a touch of electric guitar.
Read reviews . . .
Acoustic magazine. June/July 2008
When a former Albion Band and current Steeleye Span Member releases a solo album, you can be forgiven for expecting an extravaganza of traditional songs, but that’s not at all what you get from Initial Variations. Ken Nicol has a secret double life as a virtuosic and highly creative instrumental guitarist, and Initial Variations has somehow crept out of that secret world and into the open. You could almost be forgiven for thinking he wanted to keep it secret, so impenetrable is the packaging; every track has a two letter title, starting with ‘C.M.’ and ending with ‘P.A'. The music ranges from neo-classical to bluegrass, all of it faultlessly virtuosic, but wonderful as it is, it’s hard to detect what the unifying theme of the album is. The titles are, I believe, the initials of friends, and the pieces are dedicated to them, but without further information I felt a little lost. That said, whilst I find that instrumental albums sometimes showcase virtuosity to the detriment of musical interest and creativity, that accusation cannot be levelled at Nicol. The musicianship is staggering, seldom are the compositions less than inspired, and fans of instrumental guitar are likely to be thrilled with this album. Sam Wise.
Record Collector. June 2008.
For those who don’t know, Ken Nicol is a chap who has paid his dues within the folk-rock world with stints in both the Albion Band and Steeleye Span, amongst others. He also puts out his own material, of which this acoustic instrumental album is the latest. Its title alludes to the fact that the tracks are all listed as initials of various pals, while the variations suggest the central theme of tunes that glide seemingly effortlessly around a general folk palette. Guitar players will appreciate his masterclass style, while more general listeners will be aware that his gift for melody carries the album higher than the rest. Nicol intertwines subtle variations of musical quotes from more familiar songs and nuances of feels of tracks which change the moods of the material much more that you might expect. A warm wash of an album to enjoy on a number of levels. Kingsley Abbott.
* Available as a download or Audio CD.
* You will need a decompression utility to open the download files, such as 'jZip', '7-Zip' or 'WinRAR' for Window users; or 'Springy', 'The Unarchiver' or 'Stuffit' for Mac users
* Please read 'Download Information' in the Information pane on this site, or go straight to: www.kennicol.co.uk/archive.htm to download the software needed to decompress and open these files.
Read Italian Magazine Review (PDF)
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