Three years after his first solo CD “Places” hit the stands, Mark Vickness has multiplied himself through a team of talented artists, and here he is with another lovely album named after his new ensemble – “Interconnected.” The nine-track instrumental album combines Vickness’s fingerstyle guitar skills with his group’s talent on violin, cello, bass and tabla to express the interconnectedness of the human race through the universal language of music. “Interconnected” blends the rhythmic elements of folk, jazz and classical to create a unique acoustic fusion that sounds new and familiar at the same time.
“Interconnected” Tracklist
- Interwoven
- Grey Skye
- Hot Apple Stuff (Studio version)
- Bodega Blue
- 6 in 7
- Mia Lucia
- For Every Child
- Hot Apple Stuff (Live version)
- One Day over a Thousand
A beautiful ensemble piece “Interwoven” opens the album with an air of sadness, and then the bold interplay of strings suddenly changes pace to make the music more uplifting. Halfway through the track, Ty Burhoe joins in with a hypnotic tabla solo, adding an interesting aspect to it. This joyful opener seems to convey the underlying message that sadness and happiness are interconnected.
Watch “Interwoven” live video on YouTube:
Following next is Mark Vickness’s solo piece “Grey Skye” featuring his modern fingerstyle guitar playing skills. This track with harmonic bells and crisp acoustics also has a YouTube video, where you can see Vickness completely at ease playing two parts at once.
Watch “Grey Skye” performance on YouTube:
“Hot Apple Stuff” is another interesting track with exciting rhythms. Vickness’s fingerstyle guitar works in perfect tandem with other classical instruments to fuse country and pop into modern music.
“Bodega Blue”and “Mia Lucia” are bluesy guitar pieces from Vickness accompanied by his typical guitar taps, while “6 in 7” is a subtle cinematic track with heavy bass and reverberating drone notes. “For Every Child” is based on the personal memories of Vickness and is dedicated to the victims of childhood sexual abuse. The track is warm and comforting like a lullaby.
“One Day over a Thousand” closes the album on a solitary note with a gentle, contemplative guitar. Vickness’s friend Holli Ross died while this piece was being composed. It is dedicated to her and all those who died due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Mark Vickness has used a variety of backgrounds and styles and blended them beautifully to create an impressive album. “Interconnected,” has pushed the role of classical instruments in modern music to a different level altogether. With a healing effect in each track, listening to this album is a pure bliss!
Quick Links
- Official Website
- Mark Vickness on Facebook
- YouTube Channel
- Listen to “Interconnected” on Spotify
- Stream “Interconnected” on Apple Music