uitarist Steve Vai has left audiences expecting the unexpected throughout his solo career, resulting in everything from brilliance ("Flex-able", 1984; "Passion and Warfare", 1990; "Fire Garden", 1996)
to near-misses ("Alien Love Secrets", 1995) and strikeouts ("Sex & Religion", 1993). So anyone who saw Vai steal the 1997 G3 Tour from fellow guitar greats Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson could only hope that Vai would include that great touring band of bassist Philip Bynoe, drummer Mike Mangini and multi-instrumentalist Mike Keneally on his new CD, "The Ultra Zone". He does - for one song - opting instead for the closest thing he's ever done to a pure solo album.
It's all Vai all the time on opening instrumental tracks "The Blood & Tears," the title track, and "Oooo," with the guitarist adding bass, keyboards, drum programming and sampled Indian prayers to cover world music, techno and metal. Three other songs sport the "Steve: everything" label in the CD's liner notes. "Voodoo Acid" lives up to its name, with Vai blending Arabic guitar patterns with some very strange spoken lyrics; "Silent Within" features Vai's religious imagery through capable lead vocals over waltz-time, and "I'll Be Around" meanders around as the CD's token ballad.
Vai's drum programming is solid, but not as compelling as the great live drumming he usually employs. His lead vocals are surprisingly good, but obviously not as surprising as when they first appeared on "Fire Garden". Vai needs interaction, whether on instrumental or vocal tunes, and "The Ultra Zone" reaches new heights when he gets it. "Frank" and "Jibboom" are heartfelt instrumental homages to Frank Zappa and Stevie Ray Vaughan, respectively. Bassist John Sergio and drummer Gregg Bissonette steer a waltzing Vai through "Frank". Bynoe and Mangini push the accelerator on the manic "Jibboom" (as they do on the vocal tune "Here I Am," another highlight). "Lucky Charms" is a chaotic horns-and-samples extravaganza with bassist Bryan Beller, who also plays on the subsequent high-speed instrumental "Fever Dream" (with Vai on a triple-neck guitar). "Asian Sky" closes "The Ultra Zone" with an epic techno flourish.
The CD's centerpiece is the incredible 11/8-timed instrumental "Windows To The Soul." This features Vai's G3 members, Bynoe (who played a double-neck bass with a keyboard on the bottom during the G3 Tour); Mangini (whose drum kit is a mirror image of itself in either direction so he can switch between right and left-handed lead) and Keneally (who played guitar, sitar, keyboards and percussion on G3) on keyboards. It's an outstanding example of what "The Ultra Zone" might have been if the solo-conscious Vai had been a little more flexible.
uitarist Steve Vai has left audiences expecting the unexpected throughout his solo career, resulting in everything from brilliance ("Flex-able", 1984; "Passion and Warfare", 1990; "Fire Garden", 1996)
to near-misses ("Alien Love Secrets", 1995) and strikeouts ("Sex & Religion", 1993). So anyone who saw Vai steal the 1997 G3 Tour from fellow guitar greats Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson could only hope that Vai would include that great touring band of bassist Philip Bynoe, drummer Mike Mangini and multi-instrumentalist Mike Keneally on his new CD, "The Ultra Zone". He does - for one song - opting instead for the closest thing he's ever done to a pure solo album.