Michael Hughes - The Dreamers Waltz

Hear The Track Here

'A little waltz in search of a good night's sleep' is how guitarist Michael Hughes describes this track but - as usual - it's going to be impossible to ignore. So, before we get to snoozing, lets just amplify this man a bit. Michael Hughes is a Soundclick veteran of many years with a great many friends and fans mostly through his music but also - it has to be said - through his contributions to the Soundclick community over those years. In short, Michael is one of the sane ones and, believe me, that's a prize worth having and keeping. It's also helped that he is such a ridiculously good guitarist and songwriter of the most hateable kind (from other musicians) and it's no good raising your eyes like that, it happens. Although he's been around all this time, my own interactions have so far been limited to three tracks, every single one of which got a well deserved Must Have rating from me.

Mind you, I do like acoustic guitarists, although I am not exactly partial to the instrumental kind unless they evoke the V word. Before your brains burn out trying to figure out what that word is, the term is virtuoso. Not something that I use lightly and indeed not a word I have used that often being well aware of the awesome connotation of such a word. Although they are very different players, Christopher Martin Hansen and Michael would appear to have much in common with this beautiful piece of acoustic music, and yes I am completely entranced by it.

As if the envy of such talent is not enough, the rest of us scruffy oiks have to also see what instruments he uses to make such music and that is yet another puddle of drool it would be best not approach. Like all Micheal's tracks, there are some beautiful sounds here but all used so tastefully it makes your eyes water. See there are instrumentals that I do want to listen to again and again, and this is one of them but it takes a rare, rare skill to really make one that counts on every level and The Dreamers Waltz does that with such style and grace, making it seem so easy. Except it isn't easy. At all. Michael is also of the 'less is more' school and nowhere is this best illustrated than on this track. Such a wide open space holding up a magnificent work of love, patience and art. Quality counts. THAT is what the V word means to me.

Awesome. MUST HAVE nightcap.