This recording captures Jack West and Walter Strauss in a duo format, both playing steel string acoustic guitar, with no overdubs. Most of the tracks were recorded live in the studio. The album showcases West in a paired down setting where he simultaneously plays bass, chords, and percussion lines.

 

He’s a one-man rhythm section that seriously holds it down on funky grooves like 'Double Bounce' and airs it out on rocking tunes like ‘Youth'. Perfectly complementing West’s dynamic rhythm machine, Strauss weaves expertly filigreed melodies that layer on top.

 

West also occasionally picks up his slide to add his trademark legato slide work. While the album demonstrates innovative virtuoso guitar technique from both West & Strauss, Guitars On Life is also brimming with emotion, and the intense pleasure that emanates from the duo’s interactions tells a vivid tale about two insistently idiosyncratic artists coming together to forge an intimately conversational sound. It is as if the two guitars were querying each other on the topic of life.