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Last week, Paul Gilbert released Fuzz Universe, his third all instrumental cd. Being my favorite guitarist, I got it right away. I've listened to it about ten times all the way through. It's been in my car playing over and over.
Let me start by saying that I'm a huge fan of Paul's solo music, as well as Racer X of course. I love his previous two instrumental cds. Unfortunately, this new cd doesn't do much for me. Even after listening to it many times, the songs are mostly boring and forgettable. The melodies are not memorable and don't stick in my head.
I also find his guitar tone to be too weak. For an album called Fuzz Universe, there just isn't enough fuzz in his guitar for my tastes. It doesn't sound aggressive enough. It's missing that "attack" feeling that he had on the early Racer X stuff. He also has a light flange or chorus going the majority of the time whether it's solos or rhythm, which I find very annoying.
There are virtually no harmony guitar parts to be heard. In fact, the way he recorded it sounds very basic, almost the way it would sound if he were playing these songs live. A lot of the time when he goes into the solos or melodies, there is no rhythm guitar underneath. It's just lead guitar, bass, and drums. So for me, there aren't enough layers which could have made these songs a lot better.
There are a couple of tracks that I do like, especially the title track which sounds kind of Racer Xish. Probably the coolest song is a cover of a Todd Rundgren tune called "Blue Orpheus." He also does a classical piece on electric guitar that sounds good.
On the plus side, the guitar playing is phenomenal as usual. But with songs that don't hold my interest, it's just not enough to make this a great release.
Let me start by saying that I'm a huge fan of Paul's solo music, as well as Racer X of course. I love his previous two instrumental cds. Unfortunately, this new cd doesn't do much for me. Even after listening to it many times, the songs are mostly boring and forgettable. The melodies are not memorable and don't stick in my head.
I also find his guitar tone to be too weak. For an album called Fuzz Universe, there just isn't enough fuzz in his guitar for my tastes. It doesn't sound aggressive enough. It's missing that "attack" feeling that he had on the early Racer X stuff. He also has a light flange or chorus going the majority of the time whether it's solos or rhythm, which I find very annoying.
There are virtually no harmony guitar parts to be heard. In fact, the way he recorded it sounds very basic, almost the way it would sound if he were playing these songs live. A lot of the time when he goes into the solos or melodies, there is no rhythm guitar underneath. It's just lead guitar, bass, and drums. So for me, there aren't enough layers which could have made these songs a lot better.
There are a couple of tracks that I do like, especially the title track which sounds kind of Racer Xish. Probably the coolest song is a cover of a Todd Rundgren tune called "Blue Orpheus." He also does a classical piece on electric guitar that sounds good.
On the plus side, the guitar playing is phenomenal as usual. But with songs that don't hold my interest, it's just not enough to make this a great release.