Drive It Home

In fact, during a recent trip to Mexico I heard the beautiful Cuban song, "Guantanamera", as played by a mariachi band. I was looking for a version of it on iTunes, and of all the interpretations available, Arlen Roth's was by far the most soulful. He just feels it. It is a love poem, and the message comes across in each note as he crafts it from his guitar. Absolutely beautiful. Sends chills up your spine.

I was looking for Guantanamera, and stumbled across Arlen Roth's version in my iTunes search, and was just stunned at his incredibly personal and powerful interpretation. I had never heard of him, but I see another reviewer has said he is a studio musician. Makes sense. But here it sounds like he is just playing what he feels. The only way I can explain it is that this is a guy who loves his guitar and loves playing it, plain and simple. And I think that is what distinguishes this album. It's something rare caught in this recording. Awesome.

This album features Arlen's great versatility on guitar and it's easy to see why he's so respected throughout the music world. Because he's been such a master studio musician in both the blues and country genres, his more personal expressions have been overlooked---unfortunately. Here, he is showing a gentler, more subtle side to his playing, and the results are extremely rewarding.