Pierre Bensusan: Vividly Review

By: Dr. Matt Warnock

Few guitarists can claim to have a career as long and storied as French virtuoso Pierre Bensusan. Known mostly for his work in the “DADGAD” tuning, which readers may also know as the favorite acoustic tuning of rock-legend Jimmy Page, Bensusan’s latest release Vividly celebrates his 35th years as a professional performer and is also his 10th solo album, not easy milestones to come by for any genre or in any era.

The album features the incredibly gifted guitar work that Bensusan has become known for over the years, and will make a nice addition to the library of any fan of solo and acoustic guitar albums.

Recorded and mixed in his home studio, the album has a relaxed, café type atmosphere to it, while still creating the atmosphere of a concert hall performance. One can easily imagine themselves sitting in a small Paris coffee house as Bensusan performs each track for their listening pleasure.

At the same time, the skill and emotion purveyed by the guitarist wouldn’t sound out of place on some of the finest concert halls in the world. This is the beauty that a world-class acoustic soloist such as Bensusan can create with their music, which is at once intimate and a the same time possessing a sound that is big and lush, what one would expect from a concert performance.

Pierre Bensusan Vividly

Besides featuring some very entertaining solo-guitar work on tracks such as “Veilleuse,” “Kiss Landing” and “Dadgad Café,” the album also features vocals by Bensusan on “Le Chien Qui Tourne,” “The In Between” and more. While he may be known more for his guitar playing, Bensusan does a notable job as a singer as well.

He possesses a unique vocal style that, though it may not appeal to every listener out there, definitely makes him instantly recognizable as a singer. It’s also enjoyable to hear him fingerpicking through guitar parts that would trip up most accomplished players, while at the same time singing in both English and French.

Bensusan’s work on these songs just adds further proof that as a musician he’s more than just a talented guitarist, he’s an artist who chooses the guitar as the output for his inner expression. His vocals also help set him apart from the other fingerstyle guitarists on the scene today, providing an extra level of interest that helps his music appeal to a broader audience than most traditional guitarists in the genre.

For those of us that are familiar with Bensusan’s career and musical output, it’s no surprise that his latest album Vividly is of the highest caliber. His career has been as long as it has for good reason, most of all that his albums and concerts are always at a world-class level. With such a strong release in 2010, one can only wonder if we’re in for 10 more solo albums from Bensusan in the years to come, an idea that would surely put a smile on the faces of his many fans across the globe.

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