If you’re at all like me, you tire of acoustic guitar recordings, the reviews of which promise the world. You buy the recording, spin it, only to find… “Oh, they mean THAT world”. Well, Hammond’s feet stand squarely on the same world as mine. Finally, an instrumental guitar recording that appears to be made not with other guitarists in mind. Instead, Hammond’s is music that ALL can live with. In fact, I feel like we do – live with it, I mean. Hammond’s lyrical approach feels “slice of life”. Depending on the medium, sometimes it’s easy to tell when art draws inspiration from a real model or is entirely fantasy. The art derived from the observation of a real model results in a more identifiable end. Even if extremely abstracted. Last week I had occasion to wend my way through Western Wisconsin. Along the highway near Eau Claire I noticed a road sign, “Fall Creek ->”. “Hmmm”, I thought, “that’s the opening track to that Hammond CD”. Then I remembered having read that Hammond is originally from that neck of the woods. Well, things fell into place. And the real nature of those lyrical compositions suddenly drove home. Hammond’s compositions have the feel of real because he drew from a model. As right as “Fall Creek” feels in the setting that inspired it, so the rest of the CD carries that same sense of having been drawn much more from life, much less from fantasy. That’s a good thing in my book.

Too often the phrase "acoustic instrumental guitar" conjures up the image of a Windham Hill clone playing uninspired hyperspeed slap n' tap riffs, or slow, droning fingerpicking exercises drenched in chorus and reverb. I'm happy to report that Bill Hammond is a refreshing exception to that trend, and in a big, big way. Blessed with a technique that doesn't need to hide behind processed effects or flashy gimmicks, Hammond lets the natural sound of his instrument shine through on every tastefully played track of "Speechless", his second full-length album. Every note Hammond plays belongs to the song, never the opposite. As a guitarist myself, it's easy to hear when someone composes and performs from the approach of "Ok, I have these 4 cool riffs, how can I string em' together so I end up with a song?" That's a case of making the song belong to the notes, and it makes for an uninspired listening experience. I never get that feeling when I listen to Hammond's music. His confidence can be felt on every track, but that confidence never lets the ego take over. Instead, it keeps the ego locked safely away (something more players could stand to do) so each song can be heard exactly as it should be. If you want a blueprint for how to play beautiful, ego-free guitar, or just want a meaningful listening experience, look no further than this CD.

Bill Hammond's new CD pretty much left me speechless. Beautifully played, his guitar becomes more than a musical instrument. In delicate phrasing and dynamics, his work creates emotional mental images from one's past. In some tunes, notably If I Gave You, and River, the sweet nostalgic quality of Bill's music is at times overwhelming. As a guitar player myself, but a low intermediate level at best, I envy Bill's skill and talent. The production of the CD is excellent; better than most indie CD's and many mainline commercial offerings. The tone of Bill's guitar is the sweet, indescribable sound of metal becoming musical art. Needless to say, I like this album a lot!

A question for the listener: Does Bill Hammond's guitar playing support his music or does Bill Hammond's music support his guitar playing? Whichever answer you choose, I am quite certain of one thing -- Bill's new CD, "Speechless," will leave you with a sense that this is not his first, nor his final, solo guitar album. Bill "sings" through his guitar and his arrangements are the careful and deliberate orchestration of six strings over a simple wooden box. Though his arrangements of existing tunes are very meaningful and well executed, I feel his original compositions have always been his strong suit. From the opener, "Fall Creek" to my personal favorite, "Georgia's Kafe", Bill has captured a little bit of the magic that can only be found when an acoustic guitar is played at the highest musical level. "Speechless" is such an appropriate title for this high quality effort.