VAI: SEX & RELIGION

Sex & Religion is technically an album by a band called Vai, distinct from Steve's solo work. The album features Devin Townsend on vocals, which is what initially made me excited to listen to this album. However, the actual music, while played by talented musicians and a talented vocalist, remains at the lower end of Steve Vai's output. I think the main problem that prevents this album from moving beyond "passable" is how over-indulgent it is. In many songs, Townsend nails a vocal section and then goes all over the place, mindlessly doing vocal runs, screaming too much, or simply over-selling it. The song-writing is average, with no real inspiration but an abundance of screeching solos that are often musically unrelated to the rest of the song.

Sex & Religion is an overly ambitious album by talented musicians with one foot in the 80's and the other sliding all over the place. If my review sounds more like a 2 star than a 3 star review, it's because despite these flaws that I mentioned, the album still intrigues me. The fact that two now legendary musicians like Vai and Townsend played together makes this worth checking out. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that for someone who is more than a casual fan of both of them, this album is essential. In any case, it's interesting to see the immature but undeniable attempt at greatness on the album, and at some points, the band Vai pulls it off.

Rating: 6/10