Speer's
fourth independent and fourteenth overall commercial release is my
first encounter with the Emmy Award-winning, Grammy Award-nominated
guitarist, who has immediately skyrocketed into the upper echelon of
my favorite six-string slingers, including Andy Summers, Eric
Johnson, Hiram Bullock, and Mike Moreno.
In
addition to unleashing fiery, scorching guitars, Speer plays bass and
keyboards, and Ron Krasinski plays pulse-pounding drums on four
tracks.
What
elevates Speer into the stratosphere of awesome guitarists is that he
is more than simply an exceptional, virtuosic soloist. Sure, he can
shred with the best of them (I would put him on the level of Eddie
Van Halen), but he also sculpts beautiful, mesmerizing, atmospheric
sonic textures. But when he lets loose, boy does he let loose.
Speer
is also an excellent bass and keyboard player, belting out dynamic,
thumping low frequencies and synthesizing dreamy, edgy washes of
sound, as well as some techno beats.
What
holds everything together is the structural integrity of the
compositions. More than simply a platform for Speer's electric
flights of fancy, the songs live and breathe with a beginning,
middle, and end anchored by melodic and rhythmic grooves.
This
is an essential recording for electric guitar enthusiasts.
--Raj
Manoharan
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