Neil Wighton: "The Muse" (2026)

 

01. Wings Of Gold 09:31
02. Precious Life 06:58
03. Cry An Ocean 07:38
04. Among The Living Dead 10:25
05. Lonely Waters 07:50
06. There'll Come A Time 03:51
07. The Secret 06:44

Neil Wighton • The Muse (2026)

The Muse is the most recent album by British guitarist Neil Wighton, known on the underground scene for his work with Spriggan Mist and for a solo career rooted in progressive rock and virtuosic guitar playing.

His music blends tradition and experimentation: riffs that echo the great names of jazz-rock and instrumental rock, melodic passages infused with blues sensitivity, and structures that occasionally unfold into almost symphonic forms.

Wighton began playing guitar at a very young age, drawing influences from players such as Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix, as well as technical masters like Steve Vai, John Petrucci, and Guthrie Govan. These influences are filtered through the sensibility of classic British rock and the warmer tonal palette of 1970s jazz-rock. His approach has always been to create sonic landscapes that, although instrumental, tell their own stories.

The Muse emerges as a mature work in which the guitar is not merely an instrument, but a narrator. Wighton collaborated closely with artist Mike Burgess to shape a visual aesthetic aligned with the album’s spirit—the cover artwork is conceived as an integral part of its narrative.

Standout tracks include “Wings of Gold,” which opens with expansive phrasing before unfolding into near-cinematic passages shaped by the distinctive voice of Dikajee, and “Precious Life,” evoking the atmosphere of bands like Camel and The Alan Parsons Project, where melodic phrasing balances lyricism and refined technique.

The title track, “The Muse,” serves as the conceptual axis of the album: a meditation on inspiration itself—not only as the classical artistic muse, but as an inner force that compels one to keep writing and playing.

Progressive textures, instrumental rock, and touches of jazz-rock converge without artifice. There is no gratuitous virtuosity here; instead, the writing breathes. The album invites listeners to experience it from beginning to end, as a journey rather than a collection of singles—each piece in dialogue with the next through shifting textures and atmospheres, with Wighton’s guitar as the central voice of that conversation.

In this sense, The Muse aligns more closely with the progressive tradition and instrumental rock than with conventional pop/rock songwriting. It is not an album built around “hits,” but one for listeners who value music that demands attention—music that grows, unfolds, and reveals itself patiently over time.

The Muse | Neil Wighton

version in spanish-----

The Muse es el disco más reciente del guitarrista británico Neil Wighton, conocido en la escena underground por su trayectoria en bandas como Spriggan Mist y una carrera solista que hunde raíces en el rock progresivo y la guitarra virtuosa. 

Su música mezcla tradición y experimentación: riffs que recuerdan a los grandes del jazz-rock y el rock instrumental, pasajes melódicos con sensibilidad blues, y formas que asoman a estructuras casi sinfónicas.

Wighton empezó con la guitarra desde muy joven, con influencias que van desde Clapton y Hendrix hasta músicos técnicos como Vai, Petrucci o Govan, pasando por la sensibilidad del rock clásico británico y los colores más suaves del jazz-rock de los 70. Su enfoque siempre ha sido el de crear paisajes sonoros que, aunque instrumentales, cuentan historias propias.

The Muse se presenta como una obra madura donde el sonido de la guitarra no es solo instrumento, sino narrador. El propio Wighton trabajó de cerca con el artista Mike Burgess para lograr una estética visual que acompañe ese espíritu (el arte de portada es parte integral del relato del disco).

En el álbum destacan temas como “Wings of Gold”, que abre con un fraseo expansivo y deviene en pasajes casi cinematográficos bajo la personal voz de la cantante Dikajee, y “Precious Life”, muy Camel y Alan Parsons Project donde el fraseo melódico se equilibra entre el lirismo y la técnica depurada. 

La pieza titular “The Muse” funciona como eje conceptual: una reflexión sobre la inspiración misma, no solo como musa artística clásica sino como fuerza interior que obliga a seguir escribiendo y tocando.

Sonidos prog, rock instrumental y toques de jazz rock convergen sin artificios: aquí no hay virtuosismo gratuito, sino una escritura que respira. El álbum invita a escucharlo de principio a fin, como un viaje más que una sucesión de singles, donde cada tema dialogue con el siguiente en texturas y climas, y la guitarra de Wighton es la voz principal de ese diálogo.

En ese sentido, The Muse se sitúa más cerca de la tradición progresiva y el rock instrumental que de la canción de pop/rock convencional: no es una obra para “hits”, sino para quienes disfrutan de la música que pide atención, que crece y se despliega con paciencia.

Músicos:

Neil Wighton – Guitars, Bass, Keys, Lead and Backing Vocals

Scott Hunter – Drums

Dikajee -Lead and backing vocals on Wings of Gold and Lonely Waters

Jon Axon – Guitar solos 2 and 4 and higher harmony guitar on Cry an Ocean

Peter Jones – 2nd Synth solo on Cry an Ocean

Drums recorded at Summit Productions Studio, Berkshire -Aaron Cilia – Recording Engineer

Mike Burgess – Album Art

Sophie Wighton - CD Digipak Creation

All songs written, mixed and mastered by Neil Wighton.