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Way back when, there was a virtuoso forefather
shredder by the name of Frank Zappa. This virtuoso gave
birth to another virtuoso by the name of Steve Vai. When
Steve proved he was capable enough to play with Zappa by
being able to transcribe orchestral pieces by ear (and the
fact that he mastered an enormous amount of Zappa tunes),
Zappa enlisted him as the "stunt guitarist." Zappa
is quoted as saying "he (Vai) plays without a net."
Twenty plus years later, Steve is still playing without
that net. The 7th Song is a testament to Zappa's
characterization of Steve Vai.
Reaching all the way back to Steve's first
solo album Flex-able, and through to his latest pre-7th
Song disc, The Ultra Zone, Steve has reserved
the 7th track of each album for a pick that he feels is
"the" melodic tune of the release.
As Steve tells us in the CD jacket liner notes,
"Traditionally, I have made the 7th song on all my
CD's the mellifluous guitar ballad that serves the melody
on a silver platter. In numerology, the number 7 is shrouded
in mystique. In a record sequence, it has always felt like
the sweet spot. These songs are more devotional in nature
than technical. They are a reflection of one man's desire
to expose a glimmer of the depth of his longing for spiritual
communion."
I have to be honest and say that I wasn't
aware of this. But after looking at my Vai collection, and
playing tidbits here and there, I'm reminded of the first
time I saw the movie "The Sixth Sense", when I
was so surprised. The clues were there all along, and I
never picked up on them. As I am so very fond of that movie
for it's mystique, I am also fond of Steve for his "7th"
mystique. I am so glad that Steve released this disc.
As I have always thought that Steve's best
work was when he was playing in a melodic fashion, rather
then his frets of fire fashion, this CD serves as a greatest
hits collection in my mind. And what a collection it is!
Steve has such a way of blending the bizarre with the shred;
to mix it with tenderness and joy is just wonderful to hear.
As you listen to the Grammy nominated "Tender Surrender"
(from Alien Love Secrets), you can't help but to
get chills up and down your spine as he begins soft and
gracefully, then slowly builds up the shred into an orgasmic
eruption, then finishes by soothing your quivering senses
by brushing over the frets like a summer breeze across your
face. A few of my other favorites are "touching tongues"
(sex & religion), "for the love of god" (passion
& warfare) and "windows to the soul" (the
ultra zone).
Steve also throws three brand new tracks on
this disc. "Melissa's Garden", "The Wall
Of Light" and the ultra-creative "Boston Rain
Melody", which reared its ugly head as a result of
a sound check at a gig at Boston's "Mothership Club."
So, if you're a Vai fan, wondering if three
tracks are worth the cash to buy the disc, or a newcomer
wondering if little Stevie Vai should break you in with
ballads, think no more. I command you to purchase this disc.
The sheer intensity that you will feel after listening to
the tender shredding (wow... didn't know there really was
such a thing, eh?) this disc throws at you with the ferocity
of a pitbull on crack is something that every guitar fan
should experience. This disc has been residing in my stereo
at home for some time now. The recording is great, the songwriting
is beautiful, and the production regarding the song selection
is flawless. The 7th Song is a collection of Steve's
best work yet. Too bad there isn't a rating of 11...
Order
Steve Vai - The 7th Song from
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