Every now and again you hear an artist playing and immediately sit up and listen. That happens so rarely that it is hard to think back to the last time. Too many times today your mind gets used to hearing familiar lines or passages and sort of fills in what the next few measures are going to be. That is not the case with these ten selections from guitarist Terence Young. He mixes in a couple of cover songs (jazz covers of course) as well as a live selection at the end. The instrumentation is quite good, and the whole project comes off very well.

“Take You Out” starts everything off and has a nice beat to it. There are layers here that are good to listen to. Young’s playing has a little bit of a Carlton/Montgomery feel to it as he hums along at a good pace showing off some good licks from his guitar. One of the fun cover songs is “Love Ballad” that was recorded by George Benson. He slows the pace a little, adds in a little bit of piano and snare. It has a night club feel to it and seems like an old friend coming to visit again. One of the ones that I’ve really enjoyed is “Come With Me.” It has a great hook to it just after a hypnotizing melody that you wont forget. This is one of those that really showcases this artist and sets him apart.

This one goes into one of my favorite songs on the CD called “Yearning For Your Love.” Although it has no words to it (as far as I know) you’ll be singing along to it in no time. It travels along at a medium pace followed by a four note lead in to the chorus that has the hook again. Emotion is kicked up a gear or two when Terence takes the end of the song into the upper registers to bring it to a wonderful ending. I really hope you get to hear this one. “Friday Night” sounds just like that. You’re on the streets, and it’s July, and everything is great! It has a happy upbeat to it that just makes you feel good. Listen to where he takes you here, and you may be pleasantly surprised. He slows the pace down quite a bit and adds a little bit of piano for the soul searching “Without You.” The volleying back and forth is really quite nice. He reaches again for the emotion button and takes this one out nicely. “Daughters” is taken at a much slower pace as the single notes are joined by some beautiful violin and piano. It’s apparent that this one took a lot of thought and is inspired by a couple of ladies. Boney James’ “Sweet Thing” comes off rather nicely on guitar and since this one is already a favorite, you’ll like this version as well. He finishes Love Stories with a live version of “If Only I Knew” from a previous release. It shows his ability on guitar and how well he comes off in a live performance.

I hope you can find a copy of this release. It’s coming out just in time for summer, and I really believe it’s one you would enjoy. There’s a lot going on here, and I think you’ll have to check out Love Stories soon.

www.cdbaby.com/cd/TerenceYoung