Slovenian guitarist Ivansson is a tasteful and melodic player with a better-than-average grasp of how to write instrumental songs. The music on his latest EP draws from the best of classic rock and blues and is that rare sort of instrumental material that one doesn’t need to be a musician to appreciate. Ivansson puts his guitar into the places a vocalist would normally be found and his strong phrasing lets him shine there.
Though miles apart stylistically, he has the same ability to avoid aimless jamming and turn out memorable instrumental songs as guitar god Joe Satriani. This is the single best quality a guitarist could have.
The guitar of IVANSSON takes you for a ride
The songs here show influences from Stevie Ray Vaughn, Pink Floyd, Jeff Beck, and The Beatles but never veer off into imitation or theft. Ivansson’s overall writing coupled with his melodic sense endow him with an identifiable musical voice that speaks for itself. The talents of Ivansson are undeniably on an instrument that many people try to master. He has done it.
“Gotcha!” is a fun and funky blues/rock track with a gritty groove, while “Chemtrailin’”goes deeply into the Floydian mode and, like Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, Ivansson s quite good at putting blues guitar playing into non-blues settings. Through all the tracks on the new EP, he never overplays and always makes great use of space. His phrases breathe like he was singing them and that keeps the focus on tone and feel rather than sheer chops. Ivansson should be on your short list of guitarists to investigate, especially if your taste in guitar music leans more toward songs than shredding.
Hear some more amazing music by Ivansson on his SOUNDCLOUD account. Prepare yourself.
-EP review by Mike O’Cull, independent music journalist. www.mikeocull.com
