June 25, 2002 - Strange Beautiful Music

A week after my last release and a little over two years since "Engines Of Creation", Joe Satriani released his ninth album "Strange Beautiful Music" on June 25, 2002. Joe's rhythm section has changed once again with both bassist Pat Thrall and drummer Anton Fig only on the one album. They are both replaced by people who have previously worked with Joe: returning on drums is Jeff Campitelli, who has been on several Satriani albums, and on bass is Matt Bissonette, who was the bassist on "The Extremist" over a decade ago. It's still the same instrumental rock we've come to expect but after last album's more electronic vibe, Joe is back to what he does best on this album. Let's check it out!

The album begins with "Oriental Melody" and it's got some low and groovy bass by Bissonette along with some low rhythm guitar by Joe to set the stage. Joe then adds the lead guitar track to take the reins and things sound pretty epic with some synths added to the background as well.  Joe's guitar solo is predictably pretty good with lots of cool faster stuff, then they epicly jam out the main riff to finish us off. A pretty epic way to kick things off! Up next is "Belly Dancer" and Joe does his usual formula of starting us off with a solid rhythm guitar riff for a foundation, and then comes in with some louder, more distorted lead guitar overtop. The chorus is pretty fast and pretty damn cool and Joe continues to spice things up with some pretty sweet guitar throughout. Joe's first guitar solo is pretty much nonstop shredding (sounds awesome), and his second solo towards the end of the song is more melodic but still pretty sweet. The ending comes out of nowhere and doesn't fit the rest of the song, but it is a pretty wicked way to wrap things up, just a bit of a jarring transition to this cool finishing part. Track 3 is the album's only single "Starry Night" and it's got a slow and lighter mood to things with Joe playing some rhythm mandolin to give things a bit of a country feel, but still leading the way with some slow and typically epic lead guitar. There's surprisingly no solo on this one and they seem happy to jam out the smooth main riff, making this an okay song, but definitely not one of Joe's best. The next track is "Chords Of Life" and Joe plays two very different guitar riffs that blend nicely together: one faster rhythm riff that keeps the pace and sounds solid, and a slower lead riff which adds the classic Satriani epicness. The mood shifts as they move into the chorus and Satriani plays an acoustic rhythm riff and then adds some cool electric lead guitar. Then it's solo time and Joe delivers with a pretty freaking great guitar solo that is all over the place. Then they do it all again, but without another solo, just jam out the chorus to end it. Still a pretty cool song! Track 5 is "Mind Storm" and it's got more of a metal vibe than the usual rock one with a loud and heavy rhythm section and Joe playing a pretty heavy and distorted lead guitar riff, all which sounds pretty great! The solo in this song is unbelievable as well, it starts off super groovy and cool and then Joe just unleashes a barrage of amazing shredding guitar! Easily the best song on the album for me, I really like metal Satriani! Up next is "Sleep Walk" which is actually a cover of a 50s song by Santo and Johnny Farina. It's got a super breezy vibe that makes you feel like you're on a beach down south with Joe playing some smooth guitar overtop the light and breezy backdrop. It's a short and pretty simple song, but he nails the breezy vibe perfectly and it's a cool interlude of sorts. Track 7 is "New Last Jam" and after a short intro Joe settles into a pretty catchy main riff and the rhythm section nicely builds around it for a typical(ly cool) Satriani main riff. The solo starts off a little slow, but once Joe gets going it's some pretty sweet shredding. Another pretty rockin' tune! The next track is "Mountain Song" and Joe keeps the pace with a fast, pretty cool rhythm guitar riff and then adds some of his slower, epic stuff overtop. The chorus is pretty simple and less exciting, but the verse is plenty interesting, especially when Joe starts to solo overtop as he unsurprisingly sounds pretty good. It's a very smooth and pretty cool song. Track 9 is "What Breaks A Heart" and Joe plays a really slow rhythm guitar riff to set the pace, then plays some slow, super distorted lead guitar that gives things a fuzzy feeling. After a slow first round the pace and volume picks up as they shift into a solid new riff that sets the stage for solo time. Joe delivers a pretty sweet solo that matches the mood perfectly, then they slow things right down and do it all again. The second solo that closes things out isn't as good as the first, but it's still a nice little progression and solid way to wrap things up. Up next is "Seven String" and Joe kicks right into a heavy cool riff, then settles into a smooth main riff with a background that is somehow light and chugging and some smooth lead guitar overtop. Bissonette plays a nice rolling bass riff to pace the solo, and Joe goes absolutely bananas with a fantastically crazy solo! Another really awesome song! Track 11 is "Hill Groove" and like the name suggests it's got a groovy main riff with a bouncy and catchy rhythm section and Joe playing some perfectly fitting and epic guitar overtop. The lead and rhythm guitars sync up for a loud harmonized chorus and Joe's guitar solo is unsurprisingly pretty sweet with lots of cool stuff. I liked this groovy jam, another cool tune! The next track is "The Journey" and after a nice heavy opening Joe settles into a quieter, smooth main riff to keep the pace, then adds his typical epic lead guitar overtop. The quieter parts of this song are decent but nothing too special, but the couple louder parts sound pretty cool and overall it's still a good song. Track 13 is "The Traveler" and Joe follows his usual formula, establishing a slow and smooth rhythm section before playing some epic lead guitar overtop that matches the slow mood. As the volume gets a little louder Joe turns up the epicness with some cool guitar leading the way throughout this longer song. Solo time is good as you'd expect and this is a very smooth and pretty cool tune that ends with another solid solo. The final song on the album is "You Saved My Life" and it's got a pretty sappy main riff that of course has some cool guitar by Joe, but the vibe is very slow and sappy and not my ideal Satriani style. There's not even a true solo, a couple flickers of cool faster stuff, bit mostly just happy to lightly jam out the main riff. A disappointing finale for me.

That is the end of "Strange Beautiful Music" and I thought it was mostly a pretty cool album by Joe Satriani. As usual there were a couple slower songs that weren't my favourite, but most of the album was pretty good and a couple songs were really awesome! I think this album shoots right past his last one and I think it surpasses "Time Machine" and "Not Of This Earth" as well! I think it's close but I also give it the nod over "Crystal Planet", but I don't think it's better than "Flying In A Blue Dream", but still, 3rd place out of 9 is pretty damn good! Keep up the great instrumental rock Joe!