UNTOLD STORIES

Untold Stories is the fifth album by the Finnish, internationally respected guitar master Jartse Tuominen, 11 years since the preceding one. All ten tracks here are instrumentals and pretty much centred around the electric guitar. The band involves musicians (keys, bass, drums) from both USA and Finland and the recordings were done between 2014 - '15. Recently Jartse began a tour that starts here from Finland.

To me personally this kind of stuff oriented towards technical delivery rather than the emotional, more introspective depths of the music is usually a bit tiresome. The first three tracks are just that: energetic and spicy rock-fusion but in the end quite meaningless boasting. 'Time to Go' then is The Love Ballad of the album, and as such easily a highlight as well. A relatively slow tempo, and soaring guitar melodies filled with passion, melacholic longing for the loved one. The composition was made into a very romantic promotional video featuring the beauty of Finnish nature and summer evening by the lake with sauna and all. Have a look, you'll surely find it in the net.

The sixt track 'Trouble Shuffle' is a shameless roots piece, something I really don't enjoy. 'Untold' is another slow and sentimental tune comparable to 'Time to Go'. At first it has some nice acoustic guitar, and the majestic lead for electric guitar may bring some of the most grandiose CAMEL instrumentals to one's mind. Also the organ and piano appear to a good effect. 'Nine Lives' returns to the rootin' tootin' blues-rock. The last track 'Farewell' is the album's third step into the sentimentality.

Definitely this is a well-done instrumental rock album and warmly recommended to all who appreciate the guitar heroics of artists such as JEFF BECK, GARY MOORE or JOHN McLAUGHLIN. There's nothing especially progressive, and I'm afraid the whole is very evidently divided into three types of tracks: the ballads that are very enjoyable if not the most original pieces of music, a couple of openly rootsy tracks, and the majority of more or less ordinary guitar centred rock-fusion tunes to make the impression on the technical lavel instead of compositional substance. Maybe it's just me that they mostly leave me unimpressed. A solid three-star album anyway. Collaborating with another kind of composer would probably bring the very best out of this excellent musician.

Finns have big hands, at least, that's the impression I get from the few Finnish friends I have - and that is a number that is closer to 10 than to 0. Knowing that, and how small the neck of a guitar really is, it's a miracle someone like Jartse Tuominen can play a guitar at the lightning speeds he sometimes reaches. However, Finns also get older, and on his new album Untold Stories, even Jartse slowed down - compared to his previous two albums, 11 and 15 years ago. I don't think he can't do fast anymore though, but on this album he's nowhere near the frantics he exposed on Progressive.

What he brings us a nice jazz rock album, with a lot of guitar (no surprise), accompanied by a really tight band. On the first three tracks (Extraordinary, Hybrid Fusion, Mesa), it's well performed jazz rock, which reminds of Progressive, but more relaxed and with a nice percussion interlude in Hybrid Fusion.

Time To Go, released as a single in January as part of the Finnish release of the album, is a melodic, melancholic electric guitar ballad with an initial riff that reminds me of Eric Clapton's Wonderful Tonight every time. It works, but leaves me wanting for a conclusion when it ends. This in contrast to the title track Untold, which is just as emotional but has a stronger build up, from acoustic guitar to electric and then to a crying end. In fact, when you think it's done after 4 minutes, the guitar starts crying again.

In between these two tracks are Simppa Goes to Töysä (is this Finnish phonetic for Simple goes to Tulsa?) which jazzy but not too much and has a nice guitar solo, and the straight forward blues rock track Trouble Shuffle. An odd piece on this album, but as a break in the middle it works for me.

Nine Lives is the low of this album for me. Not bad in terms of guitar and keys, but a bit too long (because of it's repetitiveness), but the follow up Yeah Right, another well done jazz rock track makes up for that, together with the heart felt Gary Moore like guitar work on closing track Farewell.

So, Jartse did slow down a bit, but hasn't lost the touch. If you like instrumental, guitar oriented music that leans toward jazz rock, give this a try. If you don't, do the same. It's not Jartse's best album, I have a life long weak spot for Progressive, but still recommended.

Also published on my blog www.angelosrockorphanage.com