With Tommy Emmanuel spending most of his time in Nashville these days, Australia is crying out for a guitar virtuoso. With his album The Knight, Khan Manuel steps up to fill those very big shoes.
Just like Tommy, Khan blends genres to create instrumental guitar tracks that combine the contemporary with classical flair.
The album starts out high energy rock numbers in the vein of Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, before moving into more mellow jazz territory. We see the greatest electricity in “Down ‘n’ Dirty.” It’s a straight-up rock number which is recorded live to capture its spontaneity. I cringed at the chat-up banter that preceded “Smooth Talk,” but once those voices faded away it lived up to its sexy moniker.
While Khan does rock well, the more mellow numbers were a little more my speed. “Flamenco Nights” is the turning point, with its traditional Spanish tones acting like a breath of fresh air after the grittier rock tunes that came before. “Midnight Jazz” feels like 1970s George Benson, which is a very good thing indeed. “Wedding Song” is the perfect closer, a romantic piece which is every bit as dreamy as its name suggests.
Khan Manuel is one amazing guitarist, and his talent and passion for his craft is evident in The Knight. I can’t wait to see what comes next.
Image used with permission from Khan Manuel
