BELEW PRINTS - THE ACOUSTIC ADRIAN BELEW VOL. 2

Adrian Belew is one of the most talented musicians of the last 30 years. He is not only extremely good as a guitarist or vocalist, he also plays lots of instruments and is a very versatile composer. He can be really avant-garde but also do the most simple and beautiful songs.

This second acoustic volume is better and longer than the first, adding more substance and instrumentation to some songs, not just acoustic guitar. For example, the exquisite "Men in Helicopters" with strings sounds like the "Eleanor Rigby" of the 90´s. His ability to create nice melodies is also patent in songs like "Everything", "Big Blue Sun" or "Bad Days", reminding us his love for The Beatles. There is even a Beatles cover, "Free as a Bird", played live during a King Crimson concert. And there is a very good version of the classic "Dinosaur", one of the best songs of the entire Crimson catalogue.

Of course, Belew has this "freaky side" (if someone plays with Zappa and Crimson it´s impossible to avoid the extravagance), and there are three instrumental "pieces" (it would be a lie to call them songs), something that he tends to do in nearly all his solo records.

The general idea of the album was to give new life to some of his pop songs, as he had done with the first acoustic record. If you prefer a darker, Crimson side of Belew, you´ll like his most recent records (the "Sides" series), but if you like his melodic skill, this album (as well as "Inner Revolution" or "Here") will satisfy you.