In the 1980s and early '90s, guitarist
André Duchesne was the Ambiances Magnétiques member who rocked the hardest. After a string of albums between 1987 and 1993 that culminated with the fantastic
Locomotive, he went silent, at least on record. To say his 1999 comeback album was long awaited would be an understatement. But
Réflexions just wasn't what the fans were hoping for and the reception was lukewarm at best. After six years of silence from the man who wrote powerful avant-rock tunes for electric guitar quartets, this album of solo classical guitar improvisations felt like a disappointment. But
Réflexions is not a bad record -- actually, it's fairly good. Very intimate, this CD presents 14 improvisations, mostly under five minutes (one is 11 minutes long), in a style similar to British free improvisers, especially Roger Turner, although more minimalist and pure of tone. The mood is relaxed throughout,
Duchesne's fingers softly picking strings of notes, producing sensual music fit for late-night conversation. ~ François Couture