Joe Satriani - Shockwave Supernova

  by Lisa Torem

published: 12 / 8 / 2015

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Guitarist Joe Satriani’s non-stop career has enabled him to collect six gold and platinum awards and to receive fifteeen Grammy nominations. He has been a vital player in Deep Purple, replacing Ritchie Blackmore as well as the multi-guitar ensemble G3 and Chickenfoot with Sammy Hagar. A major sci-fi aficionado, “Satriani enjoys translating his arrangements into space-inspired sounds. Now on his fifteenth studio album, ‘Shockwave Supernova,’ he really goes to town. The title song explodes with mind-bending tone and imagination heralding a driving energy and subtle melancholia. Framed by Marco Minnemann’s devout percussion, ‘Lost in a Memory’ builds slowly, but expertly. The sense of spaciousness is compelling. Vinnie Colaiuta pours on the magic on ‘Crazy Joey’ with his guitar work while Mike Keneally, a longterm Satriani collaborator, synchs up jubilantly with Satriani’s dramatic virtuosity. You’ll be gifted with a hell of a conversation; one that should not be interrupted unless your house is burning down. Urban street sounds and celestial images collide in ‘In My Pocket’. The endless, dynamic rhythms come courtesy of Vinnie Colaiuta, with crispy bass lines from Chris Chaney and Satriani’s effects still making room for sensual blues harp. The Hendrix-style riffing and doubling of guitar parts are also fantastic. You will lose yourself in the spirited one-off melody of ‘On Peregrine Wings’ but the real treat is the sublime ride Satriani takes you before he recapitulates. True genius. Bryan Beller’s jittery bass greatly impacts ‘Cataclysmic’ but Satriani pulls out all of the stops. A wide spectrum of emotions spill out of this ensemble! Says Satriani, “ I couldn’t have asked for a better band to help bring these songs to life.” ‘San Francisco Blues’ is an R & B bluesy breath of fresh air. It’s rife with rhythm and exaltive turnarounds. Think Duane Eddy and Chuck Berry meeting Satriani in a local pub and playing in the twilight hours. ‘Keep on Movin’ has a straightforward melody like the title suggests and enjoys lots of keen keyboard insights from Keneally. The bounty of effects never obscures the momentum. ‘All of My Life’ is sweeter than organic, cane sugar. ‘A Phase I’m Going Through’ is another great pairing of players, especially the matrimony of guitars. What a hailstorm of synergy and tenacity! That’s what you’ll find in ‘Scarborough Stomp’. With '1:48', you’d better get to the point. I’d love to hear this lovely ditty in an expanded form. ‘If There’s No Heaven’ is a great example of delicious, instrumental layering. ‘Stars Race Across he Sky’ brings to mind this: If we could only describe the celestials the way Mr. Satriani does, we’d be sunning ourselves in Venus today. ‘Goodbye Supernova’ is an even more intense homage to outer space. There’s some exquisite turbulence along the way…

Track Listing:-

1 Shockwave Supernova
2 Lost in a Memory
3 Crazy Joey
4 In My Pocket
5 On Peregrine Wings
6 Cataclysmic
7 San Francisco Blue
8 Keep on Movin'
9 All of My Life
10 A Phase I'm Going Through
11 Scarborough Stomp
12 Butterfly and Zebra
13 If There Is No Heaven
14 Stars Race Across the Sky
15 Goodbye Supernova

Band Links:-

https://twitter.com/chickenfootjoe
http://www.satriani.com/splash/
https://www.facebook.com/joesatriani

Label Links:-

http://www.sonymusic.co.uk/
https://twitter.com/sonymusicsouth
https://www.facebook.com/SonyMusicSouth
https://www.youtube.com/user/essonymusic
https://instagram.com/sonymusic
https://plus.google.com/+sonymusic/posts

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