ALBUM OF THE MONTH
MATTEO MANCUSO
THE JOURNEY
(The Players Club) 9/10
While there are plenty of virtuosic young guitarists around, few are making the same ripples as Matteo Mancuso. Much of the appeal is his stunning technique as a fingerpicker, as he can shred with the same intensity of many revered pick based players. We’re talking Yngwie Malmsteen, Al Di Meola and Guthrie Govan levels with a flexible rest stroke/free stroke technique that’s super clean and precise. Plus, he has an improvisational vocabulary that’s well honed from years of gigs. So his debut album should cement all this. But what of the music?