It’s an exquisite instrument, a guitar whose beauty is matched only by its warm, caressing tone. Created from a single piece of wood, it features a blond body offset by an ivory bridge and a neck appointed with shimmering mother of pearl inlays. When Armik received shipment of this extraordinary instrument from the Spanish luthier Pedro Maldonado, he immediately christened it Rubia, thus named for the rare wood from which the guitar was made.
Just as the guitar inspired the best from its creator, it has now brought out the best from its owner. Rubia is a genuine masterwork, an album forged and tempered in antiquity, yet decidedly contemporary. Armik has composed 12 songs of timeless beauty, each steeped in the romantic traditions of Old World Europe and Latin America. The edge is supplied by the guitarist himself, who plays with all the dash of a seasoned seducer.
Indeed, Rubia is alive with harmonic and rhythmic possibilities. On Veil of Desire the guitarist employs a clip-clopping bolero rhythm to replicate the sensation of a romantic surrey ride. Armik cross-pollinates bolero and samba rhythms on Sapphire Dreams creating an entirely new approach in the process. On Follow Me the guitarist foregoes accompaniment altogether, delivering a solo performance of unparalleled intensity and yearning. Remarkably, the song was improvised on the spot at the guitarist’s Southern California home. Asked what inspires him to such heights, Armik offers a simple reply. “Just the music,” he says, “I love it.”
Produced by Armik