A quick check of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet's discography reveals its strong grounding in both classical and popular music, and makes clear that the virtuoso ensemble's success is largely due to finding the right blend to please almost everyone. That's one reason why Spin, the LAGQ's 2006 release on Telarc, is a bit of a risky venture, since it features no classical arrangements and presents only pop-inflected pieces by group members William Kanengiser and Andrew York, as well as several similarly flavored selections by rising composers of light and tonal contemporary fare. This agreeable program is commercially viable, and since the music is pleasant and occasionally catchy, few casual listeners will be disappointed with it; but because this collection is extremely mild in its fusion of styles and quite mellow in its moods, adventurous listeners will find absolutely no challenges here. With guest percussionist Colin Currie joining the group on Joe Duddell's Freaky Dancer and York's Night Furniture, there are some changes of texture and color that provide relief; but arrangements for guitars dominate the disc, and their timbral blandness tends to pall, especially in music of such limited harmonic and melodic interest. So while this CD has some appealing qualities that LAGQ's fans will appreciate, it is decidedly lightweight in substance and not required listening for the group's classical audience. ~ Blair Sanderson, Rovi
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