Intuite

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Ignore the surreal New Age cover painting with Pierre's leafy features peering quizzically from a tree--Intuite is a delightful album. It's also Bensusan's first entirely unaccompanied and totally acoustic recording in a professional career that began in 1976 with his Près de Paris album. Though he never took formal guitar lessons, Bensusan is among the world's most highly respected fingerstyle guitarists and has been dubbed the Claude Monet of the guitar. Aside from recordings, he has also produced several instructional books and videos for guitar players. Born in Algeria in 1957, he moved with his family to Paris when he was four. He took his early cues from the folk revival of the 1960s, but the breadth of his influences goes way beyond that, with flavors ranging through jazz, classical, and medieval into world and, in particular, Celtic music. All of these styles can be heard on Intuite, with perhaps the most striking example being the title track. This is one of seven pieces dedicated to other musicians, in this case Iraqi oud player Munir Bachir. Bensusan skillfully mimics the modality of the Arab lute even though he currently sticks exclusively to the unusual DADGAD guitar tuning. The piece dedicated to British guitarist John Renbourn, "En Route from Scarborough," borrows cleverly from the classic melody "Scarborough Fair," although this and all other compositions are Bensusan's own. Another highlight is "La Hora Española," which effectively evokes an Iberian ambience without resorting to clichés. Using neither vocals nor other instruments, Intuite constitutes a series of chilled abstract narratives--ideal music for unwinding after a stressful day. --Jon Lusk