Joe Satriani Strange Beautiful Music CD

New Studio Record. Guest: Robert Fripp.

Personnel includes: Joe Satriani (acoustic & electric guitar, banjo, keyboards, bass); Robert Fripp (electric guitar); Pia Vai (harp); Eric Caudieux (keyboards); Matt Bissonette (bass); Jeff Campitelli, Greg Bissonette (drums); John Cunibert (percussion).
Recorded at The Plant, Sausalito, California.
"Starry Night" was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
Personnel: Joe Satriani (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, autoharp, sitar, keyboards); Robert Fripp (electric guitar); Pia Vai (harp); Eric Caudieux (keyboards, computer); Jeff Campitelli (drums, percussion); Gregg Bissonette (drums); John Cuniberti (percussion).
Audio Mixers: Leff Lefferts; Joe Satriani; John Cuniberti.
Recording information: Studio 21; The Record Plant, Sausalito, CA.
Photographers: Eric Caudieux; Jay Blakesberg.
What's a guitar hero to do now that the masses prefer electronic beats and rap-metal to killer scale runs? Joe Satriani seeks that answer on Strange Beautiful Music. Satriani set himself apart from other would-be kings of the six-string in the 1980s by combining impeccable technique with great feel and pop hooks. With those qualities, he produced great guitar-driven albums like Surfing With the Alien and Flying in a Blue Dream. On his 2002 release, Satriani tries to make his music fresh by incorporating world music influences and a bit of techno flava. To his credit, he succeeds more than he fails. "Belly Dancer" combines straight-up rock riffs with Middle Eastern-twinged melodies and faster-than-sound runs up and down the fretboard. On "Oriental Melody," Satch's world music sensibility shines with the help of ping-pong delay and keyboards. He still has a knack for great hooks, too, as is evident on "New Last Jam," which features a melody that bounces around in your head for days. But none of these tracks approach the pop brilliance of his Surfing With the Alien songs. In many ways, the experimental nature of songs like "What Breaks a Heart" hark back to his Not of This Earth release. But Strange Beautiful Music suffers from inconsistency. While the mix-and-match approach works on "Belly Dancer," it can also result in the bland discontinuity of "Chords of Life," which at times sounds like "All Along the Watchtower" and at others resembles scale and chord exercises from Yngwie Malmsteen -- not an enticing combo. And "Starry Night," while a nice ballad, feels like an attempt to rewrite his masterful ballad "Always With You, Always With Me." ~ Michael Gowan
For his first album since dabbling with electronica on 2000's ENGINES OF CREATION, Joe Satriani returns to the bread-and-butter of straight-forward instrumental virtuosity with a few exotic nuances sprinkled throughout like musical parmesan cheese. Heavy synths and delays give "Oriental Melody" a sinister glint while fat guitar tones mix with Middle Eastern-flavored chord progressions on the intriguing "Belly Dancer." Fans put off by Satch's recent experimentation will have further reason to rejoice over the return of this prodigal son once they hear the thundering riffage of "Mind Storm," hook-filled "New Last Jam" and sassy snap of "Hill Groove." Elsewhere, the Long Island native distinguishes himself from the calculated playing associated with practitioners of this genre that he spawned on two cuts--the acoustic-guitar laced "You Saved My Life" and equally moving "Starry Night." The one non-original is a gorgeous cover of the Santo and Johnny '50s hit "Sleep Walk" featuring a cameo by Robert Fripp, a guitar god in his own right. STRANGE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC is a welcome return from one of music's more maddeningly gifted participants.