HAT.

Mike Keneally is one of the most underrated musicians of today. He's mostly known for his work with Frank Zappa as a "stunt guitarist" (which he became after Steve Vai). Not only is he a fantastic guitarist, his work on keyboards and vocals is very strong as well. If you listen to this album, it's very easy to see why many consider him to be a virtuoso. The way he blends technical playing with experimenting is amazing.

Hat is my favorite Keneally album so far (I also have Sluggo! and Dog). This is probably the "weirdest" of the three I have, but although weird it isn't really anything difficult to get into, especially for an experienced progger. His music is a mixture of very skillfully played guitar, Zappa inspired avant-garde music, and some pop influences as well. Although some songs are poppy, they are still technical enough to be easily appreciated by any fan of progressive music. Hat is 25 songs, all but the last are very short. I honestly don't think that any of these songs (besides the 3 less than a minute) are anything less than great.

I'd recommend this album to any fan of Frank Zappa or somebody into virtuoso guitar music but looking for something different. I actually prefer this album to a lot of what I've heard from Zappa so far (I mean that with no disrespect). This album is really a 4.5 and a great place to start with Keneally's works.