By: Robert Silverstein
n avid beekeeper with a seat on the Board of Governors of NARAS, guitarist-songwriter Steve Vai is perhaps best known for his ability to combine electrifying progressive rock with instrumental fusion music. A hair-raising set featuring contributions from studio aces such as Mike Keneally (keyboards) and Greg Bissonette (drums), "The Ultra Zone" serves up 70+ minutes of scintillating electric rock that pushes the genre to the max. Recorded while Vai was in the midst of assembling his proposed upcoming 10-CD box set, "The Ultra Zone" shines with an ultra-modern high tech glaze of techno bass and drum techniques layered with Vai's boundless range of guitar acrobatics. Among the thirteen tracks here, almost half feature Vai's vocals while the instrumentals range from melodic gems like "Frank" (dedicated to Vai's mentor Frank Zappa) and the world beat inspired rock of "The Blood And Tears" to the dazzling carnival of fusion themes explored on the excellent "Lucky Charms". Vocal tracks like "I'll Be Around" displays Vai's penchant for soaring rock ballads while the stinging "Voodoo Acid" features a Zappa-inspired lyric in which Vai relives a bee-induced tribulation. Merging Vai's love of instrumental music and rock vocals, "The Ultra Zone" is a solid and respectable effort from one of rocks leading guitarists.
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