THE ULTRA ZONE

Not being a Vai fan, i think, my opinion adds some more objetivisim about his work. I am not keen on "virtuoso" stuff. Anyway, i think Vai implies certain tons of emotion on his songs and adds some quite astonishing breaks and synthetisers which round his guitar work quite well. The problem with most of his records and this one in particular, is that he doesn' t give much room for anybody else. And sometimes, he exceedes in his technique playing, which makes his songs kind of artificial. The "Blood And Tears" is the first song and sounds really good, the vocals and the melody bring some quite interesting fusion, i really like it very much. "The Ultra Zone" and "Oooo" failed to catch my attention... nothing to say about them. "Frank" is probably one of the best tracks on this record, a tribute to Zappa indeed. Full of the emotion I appreciate when he plays with heart, his guitar work fits nicely with what his trying to express. "Jibbom" is a bluesy tune which kinda rocks...! Nice drum fills all the way throught... Next to that, we have "Voodoo Acid", which is actually ok... the solo is interesting, the vocals and synths are kinda of overproduced, but the overall balance is good. "Windows To The Soul" inscribes in the vein of virtuoso playing, which i don' t really enjoy, but also, has some beautiful sections, some Zappa influences here but nothing outstanding... "The Silent Within" has some nice vocal harmonies... but again sounds kind of artificial. IMHO, not a memorable track. "Ill Be Around" is pretty good, in the same vein as track number eight but better. "Lucky Charms" shows some awesome trumpet playing, some Zappa psychodelical vocals, and tons of funny interaction beetween the different instruments, excellent track; great soloing by Vai, with intense and emotional feelings. Great synth work too. Probably the best track on the record. The Orchestal arrangements and the acoustic guitar playing adds even more enlightment to this song, which sounds really positive in a certain way. "Fever Dream" fails to entrap my attention completely, but it isn' t bad at all... some jazzy breaks around 2:27 adds some entertainment to it... pretty round bass playing, i like very much!... "Here I Am" is an interesting rocker, good soloing and drum work, anyway not an oustanding track at all. "Asian sky" is not a highlight indeed, but closes the album well, it has some cheesy oriental vocals and choruses... Vai solos are suitable, but nothing transcendental...

Not and Essential or Excellent record... but pretty good actually, the overal sound is great and is not a boring record at all, for Vai fans may be really suitable, it has some awesome moments...