COLMA

Another album (#4), another change in the eclectic world of BUCKETHEAD. As much as he has changed up his sound and genres, he also released his albums on new labels. This one on CyberOctave. While the previous albums saw the chicken lover focusing on his guitar playing skills and guest DJ electronica, COLMA is a totally different beast focusing on his sensual and tender side. This album was recorded solely for his mother who was dying of colon cancer and the purpose of it was to create a beautiful and healing listening experience for her alone. The result is an album that sounds like a different artist altogether. COLMA is all acoustic and totally based on beautiful and melancholic melodies as the basis for the songwriting.

COLMA is the name of a town south of San Francisco where the city moved all the cemeteries to in the early 20th century. The dead outnumber the living by thousands and is also Spanish for 'filled to the brim' or 'overflowing.' This small town is also a shopping mall haven these days but i digress. COLMA, the album, is simply a nice mellow experience that incorporates acoustic guitar with reverb effects and a few tracks that are actually very spacey. It is all instrumental with BUCKETHEAD playing both guitar and bass but it also includes percussion on some tracks, record scratching and cello and viola.

This is an album that i really didn't like that much at first preferring BUCKETHEAD's more energetic albums but i have to admit that this one has grown on me. Every track is clearly from the heart and the story behind it clearly tugs on my heart strings. Not just a sympathy album by any means. This is a beautifully constructed album by a master musician who is capable of the most aggressive sounds when desired and in this case the most tear jerking melodies that a musician could muster up. While all is acoustic there is a major emphasis on echo effects which has since become a staple in BUCKETHEAD's sound. A lighthearted and emotional album COLMA is. There seem to be two camps of BUCKETHEAD lovers. One who loves the avant- garde and one who loves the more accessible. I have come to be in both camps. COLMA is a beautiful creation for lover's of melodic acoustic rock.

There's a certain beauty in some music that's relatable; something that's down-to-earth and honest in being. So much so that it draws you in and speaks to you. Not an untouchable, lofty kind of beauty, but one that doesn't need to hide behind a certain gimmick or idea to be great; it's just naturally amazing. This description can definitely be applied to Colma, an album of peerless and effortless brilliance that speaks to you in a way not many albums can or ever will. Fans of the insanely talented Buckethead all know and love the classic Colma, while those who hear it for the first time are often brought to tears or simply mesmerized by it. The opinions are almost unanimous in saying that this is a one of a kind work of art; this really is beautiful.

Colma is one of the most alluring pieces of music you will ever hear in your entire life. Each song has a different air to it, while each are all united in a near tangible aura of serenity that envelops you for its entire running time. The simplest means are used to play the music on this album. Most of this is played on an acoustic guitar, with simple but effective drum beats in the background accompanied by subtle sound effects or string sections. Occasionally, Big B will pull out some entrancing electric leads that are really a cherry on top of the already fantastic music. No lyrics, no gimmicks, just heartwarming tunes played from the very soul.

The sheer consistency of the quality on this album is flat out befuddling. Even with the astonishing brilliance of some other calmer Buckethead records, it's rare that a song as profound as "Wishing Well" or "Machete" would be present, let alone an entire album of such quality. Every ounce of Big B's heart and soul was poured into this, as all of it was written for his beloved, ailing mother. Each lick is played with the utmost care, and Buckethead never drags the songs along with overlong solos or wank-fests; all of these tracks bring about exactly what they want to do, leaving the listener in a state of awe after each time experiencing them.

The absolutely profound emotional power present on this album is, well, it's honestly insane. The gorgeous progressions of "Lone Sal Bug" get me every time, and when the subtle string sections kick in, I am overcome by chills of delight. "Watching the Boats With My Dad" will tear your heart apart with its simple, heavy, ethereal chords while "Wishing Well" and "For Mom" bring about a feeling of pure joy that rarely will grace you elsewhere. The final two tracks bring about a sense of dread and despair that almost make you want to listen to something else, but you'll find yourself stuck in their haunting embrace. The album truly is a feat to behold, rarely will I feel what comes over me here on other albums. This truly will speak to your soul.

Colma was the album that introduced me to Buckethead, it goes without saying that I've been a huge fan ever since. Buckethead might be more well known for his heavy metal and experimental offerings, but hidden in his discography are soft, ethereal gems; with Colma being one of the crown jewels. There's only one pre-pike album that surpasses this one in my book, which is saying a LOT; but nevertheless, this is some of the most beautiful, entrancing music ever recorded. I think it also goes without saying that this is absolutely recommended to every single person who comes across this album, it's some seriously good stuff. I have never once seen a negative opinion of Colma, and even those who don't like Big B acknowledge its brilliance. This is amazing, really, some of the most fantastic stuff you'll ever hear.

Originally written for The Metal Archives

"COLMA", 1998, one of Buckethead's first releases (as far as his PA's discography shows), is focused and dedicated to his convalescent mother. Its musical intentions, although somewhat private, turned out to be quiet appealing and universal.

As I once mentioned about Buckethead, he usually is far more deep, as heartfelt performance-wise, in his slow paced compositions. He just lets his passion be the guiding light and the rest just falls easy.

With the basic (acoustic/electric) guitar , bass and drums structure + the addition of DJ Disk's scratches on some tracks, Terry Untalan's cello and viola on others and (great) Bill Laswell's bass on track 6, the real deal relies on music composition, and from there Buckethead and Co. are quiet amazing performers.

COLMA's, slow-paced and mid-paced (tracks 5, 6 and 9) moods, run along the whole release, yet he is no easy prey for cheesy solutions or to honey fill his ballads. He finds his way to detour from these cliches and finds more daring, creative and unorthodox ways to pull it through. yet never losing sense or sensibility.

The kind of release that will fulfill your ears with delights if you choose its right time to listen to.

So do not wait that long, "Call Ma!"

****4 PA stars.

Since Buckethead recorded these songs for his mother, who was recovering from colon cancer, I thought the title of this album must be a portmanteau of "colon" and "coma." Turns out Colma is a cemetery city in California. So that makes sense, right?

Colma was my introduction to the artist's music. Prior to that I had known Buckethead as the guy who released an album every week, and I wondered whether this was the same guy who temporarily took Slash's place in Guns & Roses. Turns out it's the same guy. So I kind of expected this album to be shredded cheese, like Yngwie Malmsteen in a serious time crunch.

Well, I was way off. Colma is a new-age album,* and I mean that in the nicest possible way. It's a showcase for pensive, slightly jazzy guitar. For the most part, it's electro-acoustic, with lots of digital delay on the otherwise mostly clean guitar, and mostly programmed or looped drums. There's even scratching on a few tracks, with mixed results. Half of the songs don't include drums; "Big Sur Moon" is just Buckethead and his heavily-delayed guitar, à la the Edge. "Wishing Well" is primarily two guitars, maybe something like Steve Howe. And the final four songs ("Wondering," "Watching the Boats with My Dad," "Ghost (pt. 2)," and "Colma") also eschew percussion.

On the plus side, Colma has nice melodies, is expertly executed, and hangs together as an album. And "Machete" rivals similar efforts by Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson. But as a whole, the album doesn't stand out among the thousands of solo instrumental albums released by guitarists in the 1980s and 1990s.

*Colma is actually much new-agier than Howe's The Grand Scheme of Things, which hit #15 on Billboard's Top New Age Albums chart in 1994.