Joe Satriani
Shockwave Supernova (Sony Music Entertainment, 2015)
Electric guitar trailblazer Joe Satriani revolutionized rock guitar with various techniques that have been imitated by many. He’s one of the greatest guitar heroes of our time and he’s still in perfect musical shape.
Shockwave Supernova is Satriani’s is 15th studio album, a concept album about his alter ego, a flashy character. He delivers an outstanding collection of instrumentals covering a wide range of genres, from blues to hard rock, progressive rock and jazz-rock fusion.
For electric guitar fans and students of new guitar techniques, Joe Satriani’s albums are masterful lessons and Shockwave Supernova is no exception. Satriani combines solos, riffs, slides, shredding, overdubs, and lots of effects with his guitars, mesmerizing the listener.
Highlights include blues rockers “Crazy Joey”, “In My Pocket” and “San Francisco Blue”; the irresistible hard rocker “On Peregrine Wings”; progressive rock pieces “Keep on Movin'” and “A Phase I’m Going Through”; the lovely “Butterfly and Zebra”; and jazz-rock composition “Stars Race Across the Sky.”
Shockwave Supernova lineup: Joe Satriani on guitars, keyboards, bass, and harmonica; Mike Keneally on keyboards and additional rhythm guitar; Marco Minnemann on drums; Vinnie Colaiuta on drums; Bryan Beller on bass; Chris Chaney on bass; Bobby Vega on bass; Tony Menjivar on percussion; and John Cuniberti on percussion.
The CD version of the album comes with stunning cutout artwork, one of the best graphic design works I’ve seen this year.