English guitarist Martin Lloyd Howard has released a new single, ‘Hidden Andalucia’. This is an original work for solo classical guitar, and from the very first notes it becomes clear to every listener that we are in the presence of a thoughtful statement from a musician with a rich background. Howard has travelled a remarkable path from academic classical music through folk and blues to rock, and over the years he has developed his own voice – distinctive and multifaceted. His primary instrument is a fifty-year-old handcrafted classical guitar, and it is precisely that instrument that can be heard on this track.

‘Hidden Andalucia’ is, in essence, a small journey through time and geography. The piece is built in an arch form: the opening and closing sections draw on the aesthetic of John Dowland – the celebrated Elizabethan lutenist and composer of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This is a world of noble restraint, ornamental melody, and that particular melancholy of the Renaissance. If you are searching for inspiring instrumental music, delicate guitar playing, and flawless command of the instrument, then ‘Hidden Andalucia’ by Martin Lloyd Howard is exactly what you have been looking for all along.

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