Guitarist Anand Mahangoe, born in Suriname, releases his very own first cd; ‘Mysterious Ways’ an instrumental album filled with guitar solo’s. I have to admit that I’ve never heard of him, but according to the biography he was elected as ‘Best Guitarist of the Netherlands’ in ‘96/’97 and he also toured with Tony MacAlpine, a well known artist in the land of guitarists. If I had to describe his style I would have to name Joe Satriani for the melody and blues ,and even Steve Vai for the more extreme parts. Anand plays fast paced rock and metal and even adds some blues to it.

But hey, is this really his first album? After having looked at Anand’s website, I found out that ‘Mysterious Ways’ is in fact a re-release of his first album called ‘A Man’s Mind’, an album he financed himself. This was released back in 1999. The same album was re-released again in Hungary in 2000. Now, one year later, Anand has finally found a label, re-released it again and called the cd ‘Mysterious Ways’ instead of the original title.

Since the first 2 releases only had a production of 1400 copies, chances aren’t big that you know this cd so it should be interesting to all the guitarfreaks out there.

Thankfully this isn’t just a insane shred cd on which you will hear guitar solo after guitar solo. Anand does this more than enough, but also knows how to make the cd sound like a band record instead of just a solo album. The title track is a good example for that. A nice relaxed intro and outro support the great solo in the middle of the song.

The keyboard that is used throughout the album adds a nice touch to the music. It’s pretty much on the background so you won’t lose concentration on the guitars. The songs range from ballads to heavier/faster metal songs such as ‘Boys With Toys’. The drum- and basswork are solid without turning to anything special, so in conclusion a solid album from a talented musician, but if it really adds anything to the land of guitarists… It’s a very good recommendation though if you’re into guitars.