No stranger to the work ethic, ‘Vibrato’ is Paul Gilbert’s twelfth solo effort to date, and that wealth of experience, not to mention the man’s exceptional skills as a musician (he is frequently hailed as one of the best, and fastest, guitarists of all time) and his dedication to music in all its many wonderful forms shines through on ‘Vibrato’, a collection featuring four original songs, four instrumentals and three live covers taken from the 2010 ‘fuzz’ tour including a raucous version of AC/DC’s ‘go down’.
A member of both Racer X and Mr Big, Paul Gilbert could be forgiven for resting on his laurels, but on the evidence of ‘Vibrato’ it’s not only clear that Mr Gilbert is a musical force to be reckoned with, but that both he and his insanely proficient band are driven by a burning ambition to craft an album that bristles with personality and style. Opening track ‘Enemies’, is the perfect example: there is plenty of exemplary guitar work, but this is no workman-like display of skill, Paul’s vocals are sublime and the track crosses the boundaries between blues, blistering hard rock and jazz with an easy fluidity that makes you question whether those boundaries were ever really there in the first place. It oozes charisma, and the instrumental follow up, in which Paul eases off and lets his wife and stunning keyboardist Emi Gilbert take the lead in a display that must surely have seen smoke pouring from the keys during recording, is equally brilliant. ‘Rain thunder and lightning’ is simply smoking hot, and the rhythm section of Thomas Lang (drums) and Kelly LeMieux (bass) must surely have done a deal with the devil to be as jaw dropping as they are on this piece.
The album’s title track sees the vocals kick back in is a funky number that primps and preens as it struts down Broadway, turning every head as it does. It is the driving percussion (perfectly captured in the brilliant production job from the distressingly talented Paul) and gritty guitar that really pushes this track, however, and elevates it from pastiche to passionate homage dripping soul and vitality. ‘Put it on the char’ is a hard rock instrumental that wouldn’t sound out of place on the two recent Europe albums with its crunchy guitar tone, Jon Lord-echoing keyboard lines and dizzying solos and as the track grows increasingly frantic, fans of nimble guitar work will be unable to restrain their joy as Paul’s soloing grows ever more inventive. Next we are treated to ‘bivalve blues’ which recalls David Gilmour’s recent ‘On an island’ album with its roots in the blues, but a melodic, progressive feel washing over the song, the composition alive with depth and feeling. It’s a highlight of the album with its remarkable guitar work ably supporting, rather than trampling over, the power of the song; Paul’s restrained playing a sultry, dark joy that aches with feeling and emotion. The only studio-based cover on offer ‘Blue Rondo A La Turk’ (Dave Brubeck) is a nitrous-powered reworking of an already ground-breaking classic which once again allows Emi’s unparalleled skills on the keyboard to shine, and the track provides the perfect, hi-energy contrast to the wonderful, elegiac beauty of ‘Bivalve blues’. ‘Atmosphere on the moon’ is another track that blurs the lines between blues and jazz, the guitar playing incendiary and the vocals shot through with soul-laden blues whilst the percussion operates in its own unique world, Thomas Lang’s playing a blinding inspiration for drummers with his intuitive and emotive playing. Final studio track ‘the Pronghorn’ is an instrumental that is as nimble as it is imaginative, the song flowing from the speakers as the musicians coax the very best from their respective instruments for the grand finale.
The final three tracks of the record are live tracks captured on Paul’s 2010 tour. Capturing the band at their peak covering Yes, Muddy Waters and AC/DC the dynamic between the musicians is electric, the band this time comprising Paul, Tony Spinner (guitar/vocals), Craig Martini (bass/vocals) and Jeff Bowders (drums), and you can feel the energy pouring off the stage as they tear into ‘Roundabout’, the guitars wrapping around each other in a silken display of virtuosity that will bring tears to the eyes. ‘I want to be loved’ is no less impressive – the slinky blues atmosphere captured with evident joy by the band and rapturously received by the audience, whilst the blistering solo at the end would be enough to leave lesser guitarists with blisters on their fingers for life. Dubbed “the best song in the whole world” by the band, closing number ‘go down’ shows that for all their technicality Paul Gilbert and his band love nothing more than to rock out, and they do so with suitable grit and attitude to do AC/DC and the late Bon Scott proud with their rendition. It’s a great ending to what must have been an incendiary gig and an equally incendiary CD and it’s hard to believe that over an hour has passed in listening to this excellent collection.
It would be easy to spend the final part of this review praising the skills of Paul and his band. Easy, but then those skills are beyond question and need no confirmation from SonicAbuse. What marks this CD out is the feel that the band creates on each and every track. This is an album about making music for the joy of making music. It is an album in which each musician pours their heart and soul into the recording and what technicality there is (and there is a lot) is there to serve the song and not the other way round. Each and every track has its own distinct and beautiful personality and just as you can hear the audience doing at the end of ‘go down’ the record makes you want to cheer and clap (which can get you some very funny looks if you’re listening on a personal stereo) so exciting is the experience. This is music played with heart and soul and if you want to listen something that will get the heart racing, the hairs on the back of the neck standing up and the senses blazing then this is for you.
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