What's It All About, the new solo acoustic album from Pat Metheny featuring classic tunes from songwriters like Paul Simon, Lennon & McCartney, Burt Bacharach, and Henry Mancini, receives four-and-a-half stars from Audiophile Audition.

"What makes his latest CD special is that he makes familiar popular songs that most listeners will recognize come alive," raves Audiophile Audition reviewer Jeff Krow. "The familiar melody is there but Pat adds his own interpretation that opens a 're-listening' experience." Krow goes on to say that Metheny "brings subtle changes to the harmonies as he explores the hidden nuances of songs that we know, but can now appreciate in a new manner ... You get the feeling of putting on a well-worn piece of clothing that you had not appreciated before, but now know its worth."

As to the audiophile nature of the recording, Krow assures Audiophile Audition readers that "the acoustics here are stunning—as good as you’ll find on a standard CD issue."

He concludes: "This CD has Grammy written all over it."

Read the complete review at audaud.com.

On that note, the Irish Times, comparing the new album to Metheny's previous solo baritone guitar album, the Grammy-winning One Quiet Night, says that What's It All About, "performed with the customary skill and attention to detail befitting an 18-times winner of the award, may figure in this year’s Grammy nominations."

The BBC says Metheny's guitar "provides a sumptuous setting" for the songs he has chosen to perform on the album. "Throughout, he seems supremely comfortable with the songs, trusting in their logic and form, allowing them to suggest their own stories," writes BBC reviewer Daniel Spicer. "Metheny’s many fans are 100% guaranteed to love every moment."

Back in the States, the Lexington Herald Leader compares What's It All About to Eddie Vedder's new solo album, both "unaccompanied solo acoustic works that play with stylistic expectations but yield, in intimate and unplugged terms, some glorious new summer music," writes the Herald Leader's Walter Tunis.

"But nothing is obvious here," writes Tunis of the Metheny album. "While the repertoire and solo guitar setting suggest a relaxed, contemplative feel that is most assuredly delivered, Metheny digs very deep into these tunes. Tempos are tampered with, time signatures get shuffled and the entire feel of the recording take on trance-like tone."

Read the complete review at kentucky.com.

To pick up a copy of What's It All About on CD, vinyl, MP3, or uncompressed FLAC digital files, head to the Nonesuch Store now.