Andy Timmons is one of the most underrated guitar players today. Although not as prominent a name as a Steve Vai or a Joe Satriani, Andy Timmons does belong within the ranks of such guitar heroes. Andy's career as a recording artist began as the lead guitarist for pop-metal band, Danger Danger (he still records with them), who recorded such hits as "Naughty Naughty" and "Bang Bang," and then proceeded to become a critically acclaimed solo artist that has also gone on to record with the likes of Simon Phillips, Kip Winger, and Joe Lynn Turner. Andy has also managed to record a few great albums of his own, Ear X-tacy, Ear X-tacy 2, the Beatlesque Orange Swirl and the bluesy Pawn Kings are all definitely worth checking out.

With The Spoken and the Unspoken Andy has come into his own as an artist. This is by far the best album of his career, not to mention one of the best albums I've ever heard. His guitar playing is phenomenal, as usual, but let's talk about his vocals for a bit. Andy has really developed a very cool vocal style that actually fits his songs, it's a combination of Rubber-Soul era Lennon, Donnie Vie (Enuff Z'Nuff), and maybe a little bit of Lenny Kravitz and Elvis Costello. Combine that with his incredibly melodic guitar playing and very solid songwriting and you have a GREAT record.

Andy is one of the very few guitar players whose music does not need actual lyrics, his unique guitar playing is with such feeling that the guitar actually conveys the emotion and dynamic of the song. Take for instance the song "The Princess" (MetalGod's Pick) where Andy's guitar tells you a story, the guitar cries to you!! It's the reason why everybody should listen to instrumental music, but it doesn't stop there. On tracks like the opener "All is Forgiven" Andy shreds away like there's no tomorrow. And he can play as fast as anybody, but unlike most shredders who focus on recording motorcycle commercials (Satch?) and noodling over the top, Andy's main focus is the song and how the soloing will fit the song.

There's also an experimental side to this record. "Nowhere" features Andy shredding on the electric sitar. "Don't Bring Me Down" and "Olivia's Song" feature Andy on the E-Bow and "Duendé" has Andy venturing into the world of Flamenco with an acoustic nylon string. The album closer "Cry For You (Live)" features some serious jammin' and the great Simon Phillips on drums. Oh, and did I mention that Andy also plays bass, and drums on several songs? He handled the production as well. The man can do it all! And the songwriting... I won't get into the songs too much, because I wouldn't want to ruin the listening experience, but all I'll say is that every song on this record is great, with not one filler track in the bunch.

OK, let's do the math... Amazingly Inventive Melodic Guitar Playing + Excellent Vocals + Great Songwriting and Production = The Spoken and the Unspoken, an awesome record!!! It's time for YOU, as a music and guitar fan, to get this record and discover the music of Andy Timmons. Want a tip? Start with Spoken and work your way back to Ear X-tacy. It'll be well worth it.

Reviewed by MetalGod

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