Showing posts with label Joe Satriani. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joe Satriani. Show all posts

2/09/2020

Instrumental Rock Review: Joe Satriani-Shapeshifting

Release Date: April 10, 2020

Label: Sony Music/Legacy Recordings

Website: http://www.satriani.com/

I always wonder what Satch will come up with next when he releases another album. You have to be a very creative guitar player to constantly come up with something new and exciting for your listeners. He manages to do that consistently. With Shapeshifting due out on April 10, 2020 he is sure not to disappoint.

There are thirteen tracks of instrumental ear candy to consume on this latest recording. Joe’s sound is distinct and very familiar to millions of rockers worldwide. I am among the longtime fans that stretch back to the 80s. When I was first turned on to his music, I could not forget it and wanted more. Joe has served us instrumental rock freaks well in his long and successful career.

Some notes from the press release FYI:
Shapeshifting was co-produced by Satriani and Jim Scott (Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) with longtime associate John Cuniberti onboard handling the mastering duties. Satriani enlisted a wide range of collaborators, both old and new, to help him bring the songs to life. Legendary drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Fogerty), bassist Chris Chaney (Jane’s Addiction) and keyboardist Eric Caudieux were the core musicians on the new album with additional contributions coming from Lisa Coleman (The Revolution) and Christopher Guest.

So, there is no surprise that so many names in the industry are part of this. Just remember he is the guy that taught Steve Vai a few things, who is no slouch on the six-string either.

The production values of Shapeshifting are superb and what you would expect. Every song has a different style and pace to it, making sure every listener gets the variety they need to stay interested from beginning to end. Joe delivers the goods track to track. The album leads off with the title track and a high energy blast of some guitar magic that sets the right tone right from the start.

One of the more eclectic and interesting tracks is “Ali Farka, Dick Dale, an Alien and Me.” It gives thanks to those artists that Joe has admired and you certainly can hear the Dick Dale reference. Surf instrumental is so recognizable and Dale was one of the first innovators of the genre. I am not familiar with Farka’s work but because of that song I will have to do some investigating. If Joe likes him, chances are his work will be of great value to his listeners. As far as the Alien, I think it was that silver dude he was surfing with back in the early years of his career.

The first single “Nineteen Eighty” has some Eddie Van Halen types of riffs running through and it packs a punch through to the end, it is pure energy and excitement. After that explosion of six-string virtuosity, Joe slows things down a bit with “All My Friends Are Here.” It’s not slow but in terms of the way he plays, it is a few notches down from the previous track. It has some great hooks that are hard to ignore. It sounds like the kind of track you may hear sound bites of accompanying a sporting video, albeit in a sport that has plenty of movement.

All that energy and creativeness Joe has in his soul never subsides during this instrumental treasure trove of masterful six-string displays. This is vintage Satriani doing what he does best, just flat out jamming and bending those strings with a fluidness and command that few players can muster. He is and has been one of the premier rock guitarists for a long time and this recording takes its place alongside one of the great releases such as Surfing With The Alien for consistency of quality. I must reiterate, with the level of difficulty involved in putting out yet another all-instrumental album, this sets the bar extremely high for an artist like Joe. He is up for the challenge and plays like a man that is recording his swan song.

Diversity is the key to success. Tracks like the beautiful “Falling Stars” step away from the hard-charging rockers to show that he can do tasteful slower paced tracks with some funky licks interspersed between the rhythm section action. “Waiting” is even more expressive and a nice ballad that relates to the title with its slow start and pensive build-up that intimates some impatience but in a very nice way. It is one of the shorter jaunts clocking in at 2:37. Now if that wasn’t enough of a change, he kicks into high gear with some reggae chops on “Here The Blue River.” He also mixes in the rockin’ side of his playing to the blend with the reggae back beat which continues as the foundation. The multi-layered tracking is amazing with some great effects, making the track the most varied sounding on the entire album.

And just when you thought you heard just about every style imaginable he closes out with “Yesterday’s Yesterday,” a country-fried journey that rings true with the jangling strings and the old western atmosphere it hints at. In many ways, if you played this for long time fans, they may be hard-pressed to peg Joe as the artist.

In the end, the curtain closes and Joe Satriani wins you over again with the superior quality and all the incredible guitar playing on display on this fine album. His ongoing maturity is evident with each subsequent release and he surely is the ultimate Shapeshifting guitar man.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
February 8, 2020


Founder of:




Review Provided By MuzikMan.net

Tracks:
01. Shapeshifting
02. Big Distortion
03. All For Love
04. Ali Farka, Dick Dale, an Alien and Me
05. Teardrops
06. Perfect Dust
07. Nineteen Eighty
08. All My Friends Are Here
09. Spirits, Ghosts and Outlaws
10. Falling Stars
11. Waiting
12. Here The Blue River
13. Yesterday’s Yesterday




Instrumental Rock Review: Joe Satriani-Shapeshifting

Release Date: April 10, 2020
Label: Sony Music/Legacy Recordings
Website: http://www.satriani.com/


I always wonder what Satch will come up with next when he releases another album. You have to be a very creative guitar player to constantly come up with something new and exciting for your listeners. He manages to do that consistently. With Shapeshifting due out on April 10, 2020 he is sure not to disappoint.

There are thirteen tracks of instrumental ear candy to consume on this latest recording. Joe’s sound is distinct and very familiar to millions of rockers worldwide. I am among the longtime fans that stretch back to the 80s. When I was first turned on to his music, I could not forget it and wanted more. Joe has served us instrumental rock freaks well in his long and successful career.

Some notes from the press release FYI:
Shapeshifting was co-produced by Satriani and Jim Scott (Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) with longtime associate John Cuniberti onboard handling the mastering duties. Satriani enlisted a wide range of collaborators, both old and new, to help him bring the songs to life. Legendary drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Fogerty), bassist Chris Chaney (Jane’s Addiction) and keyboardist Eric Caudieux were the core musicians on the new album with additional contributions coming from Lisa Coleman (The Revolution) and Christopher Guest.

So, there is no surprise that so many names in the industry are part of this. Just remember he is the guy that taught Steve Vai a few things, who is no slouch on the six-string either.

The production values of Shapeshifting are superb and what you would expect. Every song has a different style and pace to it, making sure every listener gets the variety they need to stay interested from beginning to end. Joe delivers the goods track to track. The album leads off with the title track and a high energy blast of some guitar magic that sets the right tone right from the start.

One of the more eclectic and interesting tracks is “Ali Farka, Dick Dale, an Alien and Me.” It gives thanks to those artists that Joe has admired and you certainly can hear the Dick Dale reference. Surf instrumental is so recognizable and Dale was one of the first innovators of the genre. I am not familiar with Farka’s work but because of that song I will have to do some investigating. If Joe likes him, chances are his work will be of great value to his listeners. As far as the Alien, I think it was that silver dude he was surfing with back in the early years of his career.

The first single “Nineteen Eighty” has some Eddie Van Halen types of riffs running through and it packs a punch through to the end, it is pure energy and excitement. After that explosion of six-string virtuosity, Joe slows things down a bit with “All My Friends Are Here.” It’s not slow but in terms of the way he plays, it is a few notches down from the previous track. It has some great hooks that are hard to ignore. It sounds like the kind of track you may hear sound bites of accompanying a sporting video, albeit in a sport that has plenty of movement.

All that energy and creativeness Joe has in his soul never subsides during this instrumental treasure trove of masterful six-string displays. This is vintage Satriani doing what he does best, just flat out jamming and bending those strings with a fluidness and command that few players can muster. He is and has been one of the premier rock guitarists for a long time and this recording takes its place alongside one of the great releases such as Surfing With The Alien for consistency of quality. I must reiterate, with the level of difficulty involved in putting out yet another all-instrumental album, this sets the bar extremely high for an artist like Joe. He is up for the challenge and plays like a man that is recording his swan song.

Diversity is the key to success. Tracks like the beautiful “Falling Stars” step away from the hard-charging rockers to show that he can do tasteful slower paced tracks with some funky licks interspersed between the rhythm section action. “Waiting” is even more expressive and a nice ballad that relates to the title with its slow start and pensive build-up that intimates some impatience but in a very nice way. It is one of the shorter jaunts clocking in at 2:37. Now if that wasn’t enough of a change, he kicks into high gear with some reggae chops on “Here The Blue River.” He also mixes in the rockin’ side of his playing to the blend with the reggae back beat which continues as the foundation. The multi-layered tracking is amazing with some great effects, making the track the most varied sounding on the entire album.

And just when you thought you heard just about every style imaginable he closes out with “Yesterday’s Yesterday,” a country-fried journey that rings true with the jangling strings and the old western atmosphere it hints at. In many ways, if you played this for long time fans, they may be hard-pressed to peg Joe as the artist.

In the end, the curtain closes and Joe Satriani wins you over again with the superior quality and all the incredible guitar playing on display on this fine album. His ongoing maturity is evident with each subsequent release and he surely is the ultimate Shapeshifting guitar man.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
February 8, 2020



Founder of:


Review Provided By MuzikMan.net

Tracks:
01. Shapeshifting
02. Big Distortion
03. All For Love
04. Ali Farka, Dick Dale, an Alien and Me
05. Teardrops
06. Perfect Dust
07. Nineteen Eighty
08. All My Friends Are Here
09. Spirits, Ghosts and Outlaws
10. Falling Stars
11. Waiting
12. Here The Blue River
13. Yesterday’s Yesterday




4/10/2014

Rock Review: Joe Satriani-The Complete Studio Recordings

Release Date: April 22, 2014
Label: Legacy

192 tracks comprising 15 CDs is what the new Joe Satriani Complete Studio Recordings box set offers. That is a huge amount of recordings and the fact that the majority of it is instrumental rock is mind boggling to say the least. What is most impressive is that there is always a variety of styles presented on every album he produced. The tracks range from hard rocking cuts to funky runs with different effects and keyboards to heavy blues and jazz fused lines. Satch is a bonafide guitar legend and this box set supports that.

Songs range in length to just over 3 minutes and beyond to over 10 minutes such as the mammoth guitar jam “Searching.” It took me several days to take in all these tracks and it was an absolute joy to do so. I started listening to Satriani’s music when he first broke through in 80s and have been ever since. With so many tracks to choose from it is a challenge to pick out three tracks that defined Joe as an artist and guitar player. “Surfing With The Alien” was definitive Satch and “Always With Me, Always With You” was the melodic and memorable emotional artist. Then we fast forward to the present day with “Shine On American Dreamer,” which really typifies where he is today and how far he has come in his development. This of course merely scratches the surface of an amazing career however these are three tracks that standout for me being a longtime listener.

The 15 CDs give you a great snapshot of a guitar player that was not afraid to continue progressing and even do a few tracks that included vocals. I think the vocals distract from the artistry of this legendary guitar player but in the same instance give the listener a step away from the norm and more appreciation for what he was best at. Every facet of who Joe is comes through on this box set. He shows off his technical skills, how he was able to slow things down and play the acoustic numbers with just as much skill and taste, or fire off some scorching blues licks. His complete mastery of the six-string is on display consistently throughout all of his studio albums. Joe was spot on right out the gate with his first album and then took things to another level which each subsequent release.

I have heard these albums over the years but never straight through from start to finish like this before. It is because of the way I took it all in that I was able to really appreciate what he has accomplished. His musical brilliance, technical prowess and vision hit me with quite an impact. Every album is remastered and Joe was a part of that process. Included is a newly "Added Creations and Bonus Tracks" compilation and an opportunity for fans to buy a special edition USB version of the set exclusively from  www.satriani.com

To think that Steve Vai was a student of Joe’s puts things into proper perspective. His is a world renowned musician with an incredibly impressive resume that not only includes solo work but a residency with G3 and Chicken Foot to name a few, which also serve as long standing imprints on our collective musical consciousness.




I think the timing was right to release this box set as it encompasses the full development of one of the greatest guitar players in rock today. He is not your one dimensional artist by any means and even though his fans get what they want consistently with every album, there are always new musical roads travelled. The beauty of diversity is all the unexpected twists and turns, which ultimately are so pleasing and what keeps it all fresh. With each listen there is another discovery or revelation right around the corner.

If you love instrumental guitar rock you to need explore or rediscover (if you have been following his work) all of Joe Satriani’s music so reserve a space on your shelf for this set straight away. This box set is a monumental achievement that needs to be revered by all music fans. Don’t pass on this one because you will regret it.

5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Surfing With The Alien, Always With Me, Always With You, Shine On American Dreamer

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
 
April 10, 2014

Review Provided By Write A Music Review

Joe Satriani: The Complete Studio Recordings includes:
1986 Not of This Earth
1987 Surfing with the Alien
1989 Flying in a Blue Dream
1992 The Extremist
1993 Time Machine
1995 Joe Satriani
1998 Crystal Planet
2000 Engines of Creation
2002 Strange Beautiful Music
2004 Is There Love in Space?
2006 Super Colossal
2008 Professor Satchafunkilus and the Musterion of Rock
2010 Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards
2013 Unstoppable Momentum
2014 Additional Creations and Bonus Tracks