don alder acoustic guitarist reviews

New CD review of "Cool Tunes Compilation" at Folk Acoustic Music Exchange See the review at http://www.acousticmusic.com/fame/p03828.htm
CD review at Bridge Guitar Reviews

Acoustic Guitar Magazine review of "Not A Planet"
Penguin Eggs Review Not A Planet (Independent) – By Kevin Cardmore Don Alder is the third Canadian fingerstyle guitarist to place first at the coveted Walnut Valley Fingerstyle Competition in Winfield, KS. He shares his achievement with Don Ross (1988, 1996) and Bob Evans (2003). This is no simple feat. Any player who has aspired to the required level of playing to place first certainly has the chops to create guitar wizardry. Don Alder’s latest, Not A Planet, is a strong case in point. The 13 tracks are comprised of his fine guitar work and voice, along with such collaborations as Sayonara.calm with bassist Michael Manring, Ms. Diana with harpist Julia Thornton, and Don on harp guitar in Man From Lady Lane with pianist Brad Hoyt. Alder pulls out all the stops in Taiwan Traffic Jam, a piece that demonstrates his trademark rapid percussive and melodic style. 6Ft Tall and Haunting Me are songs that leave the listener with a strong impression of Alder as a singer-songwriter. Not A Planet is a fine mix of his many styles and influences, along with graceful accompaniment by several notable musicians.
Penticton review
Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange by Mark S. Tucker Review of "Not A Planet" link to original review Now familiar with Don Alder's work, I could hardly wait for this disc to issue, but, while I sat impatient, he had an honor accorded him, becoming the first Canadian winner of the Walnut Valley Festival International Fingerstyle Championship, a well respected guitar venue. This CD richly demonstrates the wisdom of the Walnut Valley judges, but it also opens a bit more widely what had previously been only an afterthought: his vocal work. Alder's last disc was a trove of very considerable depth, and this continues that but with a difference: the time in between has bestowed an even easier confidence than was otherwise apparent. The first two cuts alone are almost cocksure, so breezily brimming with perfection that it takes merely the first few bars of The Wall (dedicated to his buddy, the astonishing wheelchair mega-athlete Rick Hansen) to completely arrest the listener. Then the second attribute hits: most of this is duet, trio, and group work, divinely indexed as such. The backing quartet sounds as though it's been a two-decade road ensemble for the guy (and Tim Tweedale's understatedly bittersweet slide work can be wrenching), foursquare in harmony in every manner. Then comes 6ft. Tall, the first vocal cut, and Alder unwraps an upbeat almost David Wilcox-ish timbre of positivity, infectious and definitely ear-catching. There's a bit of Michael Tomlinson as well (and, man, wasn't that guy a wonder!) but none of this affects for a moment the guitarwork, which is sparkling, here underscored by Mark Olexson's spunky Hammond. Like Wilcox, Alder shifts tunings constantly from cut to cut, only once strictly standard. Sayonara.calm wafts through the speakers, and the bass player has to be instantly unmistakable. I grabbed the liner and, sure enough: Michael Manring. Only he and Mark Egan play a fretless quite that way, and his duet with Don is as solid as a chamber recital, a brilliant demonstration of melody and variation in a gauzily mellifluous vein, slow, every note a finely cut gem. If you haven't yet had enough of the guys who sound like two to three players at once, the fourth cut, Mr. Anderson, is a bouncily swinging track that's exactly that. With just the guitarist isolated in this and three other cuts, the listener gets full doses of his acumen point blank, and they're stunning (hey, he hangs with Andy McKee, so this ain't jes' my opinion, Jeeter). Haunting Me shows up further on to unfold the folk-blues Alder's capable of, singing in a wistfully defiant fashion of love never had while remaining a frustrating and tantalizing possibility. It is, in fact, my favorite cut, and I'd never have thought that possible amid such a instrumental feast, yet…there's just something about it that glides between several levels and stays in the ear and mind.
Penguin Eggs Review – By Kevin Cardmore- Don Alder Not A Planet (Independent) Don Alder is the third Canadian fingerstyle guitarist to place first at the coveted Walnut Valley Fingerstyle Competition in Winfield, KS. He shares his achievement with Don Ross (1988, 1996) and Bob Evans (2003). This is no simple feat. Any player who has aspired to the required level of playing to place first certainly has the chops to create guitar wizardry. Don Alder’s latest, Not A Planet, is a strong case in point. The 13 tracks are comprised of his fine guitar work and voice, along with such collaborations as Sayonara.calm with bassist Michael Manring, Ms. Diana with harpist Julia Thornton, and Don on harp guitar in Man From Lady Lane with pianist Brad Hoyt. Alder pulls out all the stops in Taiwan Traffic Jam, a piece that demonstrates his trademark rapid percussive and melodic style. 6Ft Tall and Haunting Me are songs that leave the listener with a strong impression of Alder as a singer-songwriter. Not A Planet is a fine mix of his many styles and influences, along with graceful accompaniment by several notable musicians.
© Fred Kraus, Reviewer, Minor 7th Reviews Website Don Alder "The Best of Don Alder", 2005 Top-notch guitar fingerstylist Don Alder compiles a dozen gems from his formidable collection that's as pleasant as it's impressive. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Alder intertwines his fingerpicking with percussion on his soundboard for a smooth but surprisingly propulsive effect. This solo, acoustic, instrumental disc features Alder's own compositions, which are invariably marked by their expressiveness. They range from the galloping Western of "Nutberry Farm" to the bittersweet "Marshall's Lanai" to the swinging "Granny on the Run." His liner notes reveal compositional tidbits, adding to the fun, and also offer a glimpse into the huge heart of this versatile musician. *read the Review*
© Alan Fark, Reviewer, Minor 7th Reviews Website Don Alder "The Acoustiholic", 2003 Most artists who arrive on the scene with acoustic guitar-in-hand proclaim themselves as either fingerstylists or singer-songwriters, but hardly ever both. Don Alder is an artist able to wear both hats quite comfortably. The former Winfield competitor and student of Don Ross can kick up his heels instrumentally (as on "Granny on the Run") but can also put his vocals and songwriting up on ear-catching display ("Haunting Me"). *read the Review*
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