Mark Fosson - Solo Guitar (2017)

While the sheer virtuosity of ‘Solo Guitar’ is certainly a large part of its charm, more important is Fosson’s ability to weave memorable and articulate melodies. Without a clear sense of direction, solo instrumentation can risk meandering somewhat – but not here. There’s a clear sense of focus throughout the album, Fosson casting a very particular spell with the moody atmospherics of ‘The Creeper’, ‘Noodlin On The East Fork’ likewise boasting a vibrant sense of forward-motion and energy.
‘Solo Guitar’ is a really well crafted record – it’s well balanced and it never struggles to keep the attention of its listeners. It’s an album that confirms Mark Fosson to be technically equal to many of the genre’s biggest names and, likewise, he has no trouble in directing that ability into charming, well thought-out pieces which slot together to create a great album in ‘Solo Guitar’.
...unequivocally proves that he’s a guitarist that should, by rights, be mentioned in the same breath as genre-overlords like Fahey and Kottke.
Martin Leitch - GIGSOUP - July 23, 2017


Fosson has dexterity to spare. His instrumental style is akin to his early mentor, the American “primitive” guitarist John Fahey, to whose label, Takoma Records, he first recorded in 1976. From then to now, critical appreciation and commercial appeal have run in parallel, and while the fittingly titled Solo Guitar won’t change that, it is nonetheless a breath of fresh air to hear such crystal-clear, fluid and agile guitar playing.
Tony Clayton-Lea - IRISH TIMES - 27 July 2017


Fosson isn’t attempting anything too tricky here, but he articulates his timeless-sounding melodies with rhythmic crispness, clear phrasing, and a gorgeous tone, accenting his rolling patterns with spry interjections of a single harmonics-soaked chord. On “Blue March Improvisation,” he taps into an elemental bluesiness—each phrase dissolves into the space Fosson leaves around it—while the ragtime piece “Wankomatic” showcases his ease in knitting together several contrapuntal lines, all of them pushing the song inexorably forward.
By Peter Margasak – CHICAGO READER - 2August 2017