Sean Spicer

Olive Tree
City of Peace Media and Provident-Integrity Distribution

“Olive Tree” is an instrumental collection of bluesy jazz/fusion guitar work, performed by classically trained, critically acclaimed and musically diverse Spicer. He’s worked with mainstream bands such as Nazareth — you 70s and 80s hair band aficionados remember — as well as Christian bands Jars of Clay and Avalon. Spicer covers quite a lot of musical ground here including worship arias, peaceful smooth jazz and rejoicing jazz/fusion. Spicer’s technique is impressive, and his guitar tone — we guitarists always notice tone — is cool and modern. The title cut will remind many of the legendary seventies jazz/fusion band Return to Forever, and with good reason.

While perhaps not everybody’s cup of tea, if you’re a guitar player, guitar lover or a fan of jazz/fusion, you’re going to like this CD. It’s almost always a good thing to see different musical and performance art forms brought into the church, and Spicer has provided a solid, worshipful musical platform that will encourage artistic experimentation in many churches.