Unstoppable Momentum is the title of Joe Satriani’s new album, and in it, our hero demonstrates just that. With brilliant tone and sublime phrasing, Mr. Satriani continues his ‘celebration’ of this wonderful device of string and wood that has changed music forever. His pure love for the guitar is evident throughout, and his command of the instrument is truly a joy to behold. In the first and title track, he reminds us all why his fans have forever held him in such high regard, as his leads leap and soar above the almost Celtic rhythms. I got this feeling again, perhaps more intentionally, in track five, “I’ll Put a Stone On Your Cairn,” where the Celtic reference is right in the title. Both tracks will transport true Satch fans to the edge of imagined windswept cliffs with bagpipes dancing in the air. “Can’t Go Back” again displays such unpretentious phrasing and perfect tone that one wonders if these melodies were simply always there; a part of us all just waiting for someone to be able to recognize their simple beauty and translate them.
One of Satriani’s most amazing traits is his ability to invoke particular emotions and images without words, as opposed to simply wowing his listeners with blistering fingerwork.“A Door Into Summer” made me think of good times in the sun, while the following track, “Shine on American Dreamer” seemed to round out the emotion of backyard barbecues, working on muscle cars in the driveway and all American rock-n-roll. “Jumpin’ In” and “Jumpin’ Out” are almost an evolution of “Strange” from “Surfing with the Alien,” as Satch brings out his funky side and, as usual, he ends with a magnificent ‘bang’ as “A Celebration” finishes this project off with trademark excellence.
All in all, this should be considered classic Satch, and fans of the master will be once again awed by another fantastic demonstration of guitar prowess and technical fluency blended with pure musical joy. When the guitar is in his hands, what comes out is truly “A Celebration.”
