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Steve Vai:
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Steve Vai:
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| Don't tell Steve Vai enough's
enough. Rock's premier guitarist doesn't know the meaning
of musical limitations and boundaries. Vai's most recent
release, Fire Garden, is a sonic explosion of mainstream
rock ideas void of boundaries, and presented in an
uninhibited fashion. Recorded over the course of two and
a half years, Fire Garden was just one of many projects
Vai multitasked, and is, without a doubt, his most dense
solo effort to date. Originally titled Fire Coma, Fire Garden is loosely based on a self-written screenplay by Vai. The screenplay tells the story of an arrogant rock star, Fire, whose life is threatened by his manager who aspires to collect on Fire's 100 million dollar life insurance policy. Fire is drowned and falls into a deep coma. The music reflects events occurring both inside and outside of Fire's coma. Fire Garden begins with sirens that awake Fire from a deep sleep. He finds the building he is in is engulfed in flames. As a wall of fire burrows its way through the innards of the building, Fire is sent running for his life, trying desperately to escape the flames that threaten to consume him. The action is supplemented with a tense and driving rock groove. The piece concludes with a massive explosion and a long burn, the sound of which Vai worked hours to achieve on guitar with one of his many electronic gadgets. The action is described through Vai's music, and his keen feel for orchestration provides a dense and thickly layered work that is difficult to absorb in one listening. As Vai describes in the CD jewel case, "Being as dense as it is, this CD may best be experienced by devouring it in pieces, but those with a strong constitution may dare to consume it whole as it is." The CD features 18 compositions, spanning more than 74 minutes. The first nine tracks are instrumental, with the last nine tracks featuring vocals. Rather than work with a vocalist to achieve the result he was after, Vai took the lead by singing the vocals himself. Although he insists his vocals couldn't have been possible without the work of Warren Barigan, Vai under-rates his vocal abilities. He has a firm understanding of what he want's to achieve from his vocal parts. This understanding results in a performance sung with conviction and feeling. Vai's screenplay was sold to Hollywood and is currently in production. Vai was originally offered the lead role playing Fire, but declined. "I'm not an accountable quantity for movie people," Vai explains. Although Fire Garden took years to produce, and was slow coming into focus, Vai took the time required to create the work he was after. In many respects, the sheer quantity of musicianship and care in assembling each minute of music on the CD makes it an instant classic. You may not hear much of this CD on your local radio station, but be rest-assured - this 20-bit digital work is worth the purchase. Fire Garden is a sonic world straight from the musical ear of Steve Vai. Complex and daring, listen at your own risk. |
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