Up close- decoded (I think...)

I am feeling a little down. I am in search of some inspiration for my art (project) & was wondering what makes a good art piece. Many breakthrough art pieces are really simple ideas, these are deconstructed & regenerated according to the artists' interpretations. I ended up looking at Eric Johnson's Up Close album & thought what a simple but effective art piece it was. I was trying to find meaning to it because in art, if you can relate the end product to some meaning, then it becomes an acceptance, not mystery. I stared at it hard for some time but couldn't manage to decipher the hidden meaning. Frustration drove me to look at the album title which is UP CLOSE. The fact that no words were written on it implied that there might be a probability that it was already written there but we just couldn't see it. Then it dawned on me that the album title was there all along- I've indicated it on the pic above. 

Then again, maybe I got it wrong...

Eric Johnson: Up Close

After listening to Eric Johnson, we'd worship him for his tone mastery. It's not about how much drive he could conjure from his veiled effects line up but it's all about his unrivaled cleans. To me, it conjures serenity. It makes me appreciate the instrument for what it is, free from any need for effects. 

I was looking forward to Up Close in search of another Manhattan but there was none. The spirit of Up Close drew its parallel to Ah Via Musicom with some very bluesy moments. I prefer Mr. Johnson's instrumentals more than his singing. However, in Up Close, some of the vocal-laden numbers, not sung by Mr. Johnson, wasn't free from his shackles. Take Brilliant Room for instance- the pitching, twists & turns were in the mould of Eric Johnson despite him not doing the vocals. Maybe that's the most disturbing aspect of this release to me.