On Stage Records Asu: CD-levy Vuosi: 2023, 23.06.2023 Kieli: Englanti
His 20th solo album is Granfelt's homage to role models who influenced his style as a guitarist. He mentions Gary Moore, Jeff Beck and Robin Trower in particular. The fact that the album release falls exactly on his 60th birthday shows that it is a very special piece of work for the exceptional Finnish guitarist. It is also a retrospective of his career with highs and lows, which, as the title says, he looks back on with gratitude. The fact that he recorded the album with his long-time companions Masa Maijanen on bass and Jari Salminen on drums and percussion shows his down-to-earthness. Miika Aukio, Erja Lyytinen's keyboard player, adds a special, sometimes slightly psychedelic touch to the songs.
Stylistically, the work spans a range from blues to monumental rock to jazz, which is not least due to Granfelt's three great idols.
Besides the blues-rock songs like "I Got The Blues From You" with beautiful background vocals by Katja Sirkiä and fine keyboard passages by Miika Aukio, he shows in the instrumentals "JB Reggae" and "Techno Blues" that he also has a vein for jazz, to show in pieces like "Remember" and "Gratitude that he also has a soft spot for the kind of guitar playing of David Gilmour. In the quiet, almost dreamy "Life Goes On", Granfelt musically gives an insight into his positive attitude to life. With the album Gratitude, Granfelt proves that he is one of the best guitarists in the world, and the years of songwriting with Wishbone Ash are also noticeable.
