This is a CD to curl up with in front of a fireplace and a glass of wine.

Earl Klugh enjoyed incredible success with his self-titled debut album in 1976 and with follow ups that included among others, personal favourites like Living Inside Your Love (also released in 1976), 1977's Finger Paintings, 1979's Heart String, the Grammy Award winner, One on One (with Bob James) and, just before this one in 1980, "Dream Come True". Klugh was the veritable Jay-Z of the jazz-fusion world back in the 70s and 80s, in the sense that he rarely if ever, allowed a year to go by without releasing at least one very good album.

Many considered this particular album (also originally released in 1980) a risky departure but his fans loved it and I was one of those fans. I think the album broadened his appeal because his next album, 1981's Crazy for You (another of my most loved) was his first album to go gold.

On paper, it sounds simple enough: Klugh plays 13 well-known songs on his acoustic guitar with the impeccable precision that he's renowned for. These are all standards - songs like "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "Laura" and "Mona Lisa" - and Klugh mainly plays solo, though on some cuts he plays with a full orchestra (arranged and conducted by Dave Matthews). The sound always remains basic and sparse though. He is joined by a handful of musicians mind you; there's acoustic bass, piano, rhythm guitar and Latin percussion here and there, and there are even people like Marcus Miller on bass on a few selections and Dr Gibb on percussion on "Jamaica Farewell".

But this is mostly about Klugh's tasteful and intimate sound, with lush and sweeping strings and horns in the background. It's truly beautiful and absolutely perfect for those late nights as the album title suggests. There isn't a dud to be found anywhere on this CD but I still have my favourites: "Nice To Be Around (Nice To Have Around)", "Like A Lover", "Laura", "Triste", "Two For The Road" and "A Time For Love".

Klugh took the theme just one step further in 1984's Nightsongs (cleverly subtitled "More Late Night Guitar"), which if possible, I love even more. For the orchestration on that album, Klugh tapped both Dave Matthews and Don Sebesky and with songs like "Theme From "The Pawnbroker"", "The Look Of Love" (Klugh's version was the first I ever heard), "Nature Boy", "Night Song" and "See See Rider", and with help from people like Barry Eastmond on keys, Brian Brake on drums, Sammy Figueroa on percussion and a special appearance on "Night Song" from Toots Thielsman on harmonica, this is also one not to be missed. Also look out for "The Shadow Of Your Smile" with Ron Carter on bass, Grady Tate on drums and a wonderful piano solo from Eastmond.

Earl Klugh went on to produce many a phenomenal album, way too many to list here but I'd say to any Earl Klugh fan or any fan of acousitc guitar - your collection is not complete unless have these two now iconic albums in it.

for jazz enthusiast, this album is a must and if you don't have it your missing the greatest guitar melody of all time; its a stress-relief music that is so gentle to the musical ears particularly the rendition of EK " LIKE A LOVER" that one could possibly describe it as if your listening it in paradise!be sure to get a copy of this masterpiece.

I was introduced to Earl Klugh music by a friend way back in early '80s. Since then I have followed his recording career because of my love for guitar music. My late father owned a number of LPs of Chet Atkins, hence, my great appreciation for guitar music. The greatest influence in Earl Klugh's life is Chet Atkins, and I believe that he is as equally talented and creative as his idol.

I have collected some of the albums he recorded, "Living Inside Your Love," "Magic In Your Eyes," "Finger Paintings," "Heart String," "One On One" (with Bob James), "Sounds And Visions, Volume 2," "The Best of Earl Klugh - Vol. 2 (CD) "Late Night Guitar" (CD) and "Solo Guitar" (CD). This is the best Earl Klugh CD I own, next to "Solo Guitar." It has excellent material and impeccably interpreted by one of the greatest acoustic guitarists of all time, from the initial track Jerome Kern's "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" to the last track "I'll Never Say Goodbye." It's just perfect for easy listening and relaxation.

My personal favorites aside from the first track include "Like A Lover," "Triste," "Tenderly," "Two For The Road," "Jamaica Farewell," and Paul Williams' "Nice To Be Around."

Highly recommended! I guarantee it will be a lifetime of listening enjoyment!

I was very glad to see this come out on CD, since my old cassette tape went south (just like all of them do eventually). This collection made me an Earl Klugh fan. Songs like "Jamaica Farewell" and "Mirabella" also got me more interested in acoustic guitar and learning to play it (albeit pretty raggedly). I would have added a few more Klugh gems to this collection, since it's rather short. But overall, for relaxing music, this is a fine CD.