2026 – Five and Dime Universe
Release Date : June 19, 2026
By Phillip
Smith; June 13,
2026
I’ve been a fan of Toulouse
Engelhardt’s work as a fingerstyle guitarist since reviewing his 2015 release
Mind Gardens. Engelhardt,
the last remaining musician of the Tacoma Seven, a collective of
fingerstyle guitarists who recorded for Tacoma Records from 1959-1976 is
an absolute master of this style. His performances
are beautiful and flawless. Music
From the Martian Gras, Engelhardt’s tenth album since the 1975 debut
release of Toullusions, is a fantastic instrumental, intergalactic
journey through his multi-dimensional universe.
Engelhardt launches this nine-track listening experience with “Come Back to Earth With Me Princess Davana” from smack-dab in the middle of the cosmos. If I close my eyes, I feel as if I’m swimming through a beautiful, celestial slice of space. Introduced with a 1947 breaking radio alert reporting a mysterious flying saucer in New Mexico, “Roswell Romp” wonderfully captures that moment of time with a playful, horn-accompanied taste of the Big Easy. A wave of tranquility washes over me when listening to “Above the Magellanic Clouds”. It has a way of putting me in a peaceful state of mind. The phrase “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” extends its boundaries as it reaches the realm of the red planet. Here in Engelhardt’s inter-planetary cantina, it is happy hour with a round of tasty “Martiantinis” where even the guitar strings have a bender. Served with a splash of harmonics, this song puts me in my happy spot. The 1951 reports of unusual UFO formations traversing the skies of Lubbock, Texas perfectly set the scene for “Lubbock Lights”. Engelhardt instills a wonderous curiosity to this composition with a high-energy rhythm, strings, and synthesizer.
Music From the Martian Gras, a work of art for the mind, is another fantastic release from Toulouse Engelhardt. This is absolutely one for the guitar aficionados.
Track Listing
- Come Back to Earth With Me Princess Davana
- Tommy's Robot
- Return to Mare Tranquillatatis
- Roswell Romp
- Above the Magellanic Clouds
- Martiantinis
- Martian Monsoon Suite
- Lubbock Lights
- Golden Apple Vacancy