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"Defying Gravity" Vinnie Moore |
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You know I don't think
I can recall having listened to Vinnie Moore since "Minds
Eye" came out a while back… back long enough I believe when
six string wizards were still afforded their opportunity to impress while
still an instrument of self-expression and virtuitous ability, and there
he was lathered right on a full page endorsement, the D'addario "Minds Eye" ranked right up there with the best of the time, in a time where the likes of YJM's rule, others like Satriani and Vai on their way to household status. I think of Moore as less the big name as those others of the past, surely no less defined a talent but maybe a little more intricate and acutely detailed-much like we're getting here, "Defying Gravity," is a purely heavy instrumental loaded to capacity with enough licks, chops, solo ventures and quick picks to wipe away the stress cracks of the last ten or twelve years. Yes this style, this music never actually ventured far off; musical tastes may come and go but appreciation for accomplished musicianship will never leave. Accompanied by such
names as LaRue, Rosenthal, and Smith, noteworthy for their acclaim with
past greats as the Dixie Dregs, Rainbow and Journey, it's easy to be consumed
by the Minor interludes pervade more than occasionally-"Last Road Home," "If I Could," "House With A Thousand Rooms," "Equinox,"-all serving to soften up the swarming storm of fretwork, giving a nice dash of atmospheric space and breaking up pretense for just another album of continuous colorless shred. Lest we forget what brought him here, plenty o' heavy with enough attention paid to the finer details where amongst the forerunners we find, "Alexander The Great," "Awaken The Madman," which sounds just like it should with a name like that, and "Emotion Overload." An hour's worth of
solid playing from a well-respected veteran presence, designed to Released by Shrapnel Records Review by Vinnie Apicella [va85@columbia.edu] P.O. Box 20252
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