I think at this point, expectations of where this series was heading have been, perhaps, broken a little bit. Some were expecting Eddie Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, Slash, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, etc. And don’t worry… you’ll see most of them (there’s one in there who I’m debating… he has a number of amazing guitar solos, but he’s racist, so… yeah). But I’ve decided to not just go in the obvious directions because doing that can be so limiting… it’s amazing what great guitar you can find in the perhaps not-so-traditional genres.

Anna Calvi is an amazing example. I find her voice mesmerizing, her style fun and intriguing, and her guitar-playing mind-blowing.

Here she is playing her song Love Won’t be Leaving live in New York. One of the most amazing things about this solo is how it starts off so slow, soft, and menacing, and then just builds into this face-melting amazingness. It’s an incredible use of the guitar, technique, and, yes, space, especially at the beginning. And then it just abruptly ends. Just like that. No come-down, no slow-down, nothing. Just… next verse, immediately, without a break.

The solo starts at 3:18 and ends rather suddenly at 6:25.

Enjoy.