Legendary guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani is back with his 16th studio record entitled “What Happens Next” and with a legendary rhythm section behind him. On board with Satriani is Rock and Roll Hall of Fame bassist Glenn Hughes(Deep Purple/Black Country Communion) and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, who has also worked previously with Satriani in the supergroup Chickenfoot.
“Energy” is a straight ahead rocker that opens the record with raw power trio fury. “Catbot” shows Satriani’s more humorous side with an oddly effected guitar tone and some unique phrasing. Is Satriani’s spirit animal a robot cat? “Thunder High On The Mountain”, one of the highlights of the record, begins with Satriani utilizing a tapping technique for the opening, before introducing a gloriously heavy riff and eventually a highly melodic and emotional guitar solo. It’s a masterful track. The rest of the record is a great balance between light and shade where Satriani shows a stylistically wide range. Satriani’s beautifully soulful playing soars on stellar tracks like “Righteous” and “Forever And Ever” and his more rocking side is on full display on “Headrush” and “Super Funky Badass”, another standout, where Hughes and Smith provide a serious groove for Satriani to fly over.
“What Happens Next” is just the latest reminder of what an incredibly skilled musician and composer Satriani is. This is essentially a clinic in how you make an instrumental rock record. Satriani’s playing is super tasteful and varied, his songwriting is strongly melodic and his solos are always in service to the songs. This record is a masterpiece and will be a strong contender for my favorite of the year!
