Recently I find I've fallen down the well of Tom Mason's lastest album, Slide Guitar Meditations. This amazing singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist never disappoints - whether he's singing original sea chanteys with the Blue Buccaneers, composing songs for a performance of Shakespeare's 12th Night, or writing contemporary tunes with insightful and evocative lyrics. By his own admission, 'this music was created to help quiet the mind', adding that the music 'is a metaphorical voyage, a personal musical departure . . . about taking a journey with the listener.' All backing instruments are played by Mason in addition to his slide guitar artistry, and the resulting album is indeed a travelogue of the mind. Although I suspect I could go to sleep listening to it, I haven't yet managed because I'm fascinated by all the new and different things I hear each time: something Hindi, a bit of Middle Eastern, hints of neo-Celtic Appalachian, even a suggestion of Pink Floyd.
I simply cannot recommend this album highly enough, and I hope that you will take a moment to check out 'Slide Guitar Meditations' by Tom Mason. You can listen to his album in its entirety on bandcamp where you can also purchase the album in digital or physical format. If you're unfamiliar with bandcamp they are an amazing platform which gives most of the proceeds back to the artist (where it belongs). You can find contemporary composers such as Philip Glass or Steve Reich there, as well as singer-songwriters and bands in any number of different genres; it's literally a treasure trove of music to explore.