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Steve Vai - The Ultra Zone Audio CD

A fair review of the Steve Vai "The Ultra Zone" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Steve Vai reviews here, or go back to the Steve Vai tabs.

Steve Vai Band: Steve Vai
Title: The Ultra Zone
Rating:
Release Date: 1999-09-07
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Blood and Tears [Instrumental] 2: Ultra Zone [Instrumental] 3: Oooo [Instrumental] 4: Frank [Instrumental] 5: Jibboom [Instrumental] 6: Voodoo Acid 7: Windows to the Soul 8: Silent Within 9: I'll Be Around 10: Lucky Charms [Instrumental] 11: Fever Dream [Instrumental] 12: Here I Am 13: Asian Sky

A shred above
Granted, this particular brand of experimentation can yield almost as much corniness as it can joy, but at least you stay somewhat engaged with anticipation. 3 1/2

Although this still falls into the plastically-produced, chauvinistic sonics which dominated metal and rock guitar virtuosos throughout the decades, Vai is better at tweaking the formula into something a little more special then fanatical runs on top of musty riffs (and better at recording it as well). .


Another great release from Steve

If you like electric guitar, great solo and very good rock music, you should like this one. I like this cd a lot, pretty good from the beginning till the end. .


Not the Vai I remember - more electronic beeps than electric guitar
Vai had a way of making a guitar really sing in some melody but he could also rip out the metal type jams when he had to. I loved Vai's work twenty years ago, so I decided to pick up a newer album of his to see how it was. This album seems not like any guitar album I have heard. It is a strange, ambient and oriental type of sound that again, does not sound like a guitar, or Vai himself was even around. Maybe it is just an experimental kind of album, but goodness what happened to some structure? This is not even noodling, some of this is like someone left the answering machine on and then let their five-year-old pound on multiple levels of xylophones with sticks. Some may think this is a masterpiece but my opinion is that it is an experimental album that tries to hard to come up with innovative sounds. In the meantime, where is the guitar?.


Good, not great.
The opening track got me as I'm a huge fan of Indian music and culture. I've been a very long time Vai fan, but never picked this album up until today. There was no needless soloing in it, just a powerful feeling. OOOO and Lucky Charms (which has a Flex-able vibe) are my two other favorite tracks. The vocal tracks just don't have much melody to them and can't hold a candle to the ones on Sex & Religion and Fire Garden. It's good to get if you're a Vai fan, but start with Passion & Warfare, Disturbing the Peace (Alcatrazz), or Eat 'em & Smile (David Lee Roth).


Baffling...with few gems.
But this recording makes very little sense. First, I'm a big fan of Steve's music. The first five songs range from good to great. Then the last eight songs range from bad to confusing to dreadful. I can't understand how such a fantastic musician, with such great feeling, and depth of emotion can create such a mess. He has the skills!! I have most of Steve's recordings, and this stands out as a near disaster. Mostly disapointing.
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You can see a complete list of all Steve Vai discography, or go back to the Steve Vai tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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