Allen Dawson, the singer-songwriter, plays and sings his original songs and compositions collected over the years on his new album Lucky Seven. From brief interludes of sounds of water flow ballads of love and loss, joy and peace, music that moves, and some very fine guitar playing. Honest and intimate singing is interspersed with from-the-heart acoustic guitar instrumentals. Two non-original arra
ngements from guitar virtuosos Tommy Emmanuel and Chet Atkins complete the celebration of things steel-stringed. Primarily an acoustic album, this often serene album may surprise those familiar with "Al Dawson", the far-from-shy rock guitarist known in the Triangle area of North Carolina. Lucky Seven is about the songs, but there is never a shortage of interesting and very fine guitar playing on a Dawson album. Two-thirds of the way through the album, out come the electric guitars to round out a most versatile display of command of the instrument. The album closes as it began, with the sounds of water and three beautiful songs, the last being a lullaby. On Soli Deo Gloria, Allen Dawson, the classical guitarist, plays a beautifully flowing program of Bach, Sor, Debussy, Tarrega, Torroba, and many other modern pieces primarily drawn from the classic Segovia and Parkening repertoire. While many pieces require virtuoso technique, the overall feel of this album is serenity and joy. It is celebration of the beauty of the nylon stringed guitar sounding some of it's great compositions and transcriptions. From the liner notes, Dawson says, "I wonder if there is a place for music like this in our hustle-bustle world - these quiet little gems ... and my best hope is that you too will find in them solace and poetic beauty."
