Detailed Review of The New
Some Notes: This is Mike’s 4th album. I’ve personally been listening to his music for about 2 years and I have all of his Cds. Each one has its own personality and you owe it to yourself to check all of them out. For this particular one, I’ve been listening to it for about 3 weeks now so that I could give it a chance to sink in and not judge it upon first hearing it. Also, what you see below is my honest opinion. I don’t sugarcoat anything. If I didn’t like something about a particular song, then I said it. Also understand that it’s my opinion and you may feel different. However, it’s in no way biased one way or another. I graded the songs on a letter system A-E. Ok, enough of that. Let’s get to the actual songs!
1) Misty Seas-This is much like “Prelude” from Mike’s last cd Vibe in that it’s basically an introduction to the record. It’s a short little piece, clocking in at 1:25, featuring just Mike on electric guitar and some background keyboard/synth sounds. The keyboards/synths set up a really spooky, dreamy, neoclassical kind of backdrop, over which Mike plays a few different melodies and shred motifs. One of the melodies we hear again in the middle section of the next song, All or Nothing. What’s great about this little piece is that opens up the record with this aura of suspense and mystery, in that you know something is going to happen, but you’re unsure of what and when. You get to hear what happens when it leads right into All or Nothing. GRADE: A-
2) All or Nothing-This is a neoclassical/shred track and it’s definitely one of the best songs in this style that Mike has written. It carries the same spooky, dreamy, evil kind of vibe that the first track does. What is great about this track is that it doesn’t get repetitive. There is a main melody, but then there are bunch of different little “mini” sections. One of them carries the same melody found in Misty Seas and another is a very cool progression through a bunch of arpeggios. There’s a lot of shredding on this track, but it doesn’t get out of hand; it fits the song and isn’t just random. GRADE: A-
3) I Believe-This song is one that Mike has often played live, but one that some how never found its way to a record. He tones it down with this song, turning to a more low-key, funky, bluesy style, with vocals. He uses a wah wah to get that funky vibe going and his vocals complement the song well. The solo is particularly cool, featuring 2 dueling guitars that play “call and response”. Overall, a very solid track. GRADE: B
4) Mission Mars-From the very first time I heard this song, I knew it was one of the best songs Mike has ever written. It’s got sort of a techno beat going on with some basic vocal ideas from Mike, and it’s got some AMAZING melodies and riffs, not to mention that the 2 guitar solos are just fantastic. They are so melodic, well composed, and have some tasty unique licks that when you hear them, you want to pick up your guitar and start learning them. No kidding! This is one great song and is one of the highlights of the record for me. GRADE: A+
5) Swing Thing-As the title would suggest, this is a very jazzy tune. There’s a tasty, melodic intro solo that features some really nice licks and then it gets into the main melody which Mike accompanies really nicely by scat singing along with it. Out of nowhere it seems, in the middle of the song, Mike comes in with a very smoothly distorted guitar and plays some buttery legato licks, using his whammy bar at the same time, giving this almost “Holdsworth” effect. Overall it’s a very catchy song that you find yourself singing. For a jazzier tune, it’s not hard to follow at all. GRADE: A-
6) Lucky-This tune is a vocal ballad that features Mike on both acoustic and electric guitar. He even plays some slide parts that embellish the song quite nicely. This is another one of those songs that stood out to me, much like Mission to Mars did. While Mike certainly isn’t the greatest singer you’ve ever heard, he does anadequate job. What’s great about this song is the surrounding music. It’s just wonderful. The chords that Mike plays on his acoustic at certain parts are very beautiful and so is the solo. Some parts in it almost brought tears to my eyes they were so beautifully put together. This might sound cheesy and biased, but listen for yourself and I promise you’ll feel the same way. Overall, an outstanding song, even though you can tell Mike’s main instrument isn’t vocals! GRADE: A+
7) The Unknown-I really dig this track. It has this really funky groove and has kind of a James Bond vibe going on in many of the parts. You’ll know what I mean when you hear it. It’s also very fusiony in some parts, especially the solo section, which by the way is just killer. The tone and note choice are just awesome! His singing during the verses is well done. Overall, a very cool track. GRADE: A-
8) Crying for Freedom-. Mike’s never really written a true ballad, so this is his first one. That being the case, I was quite surprised to find out that it was another one of those stand out tracks on the cd. It’s your quintessential guitar ballad, but what’s great about it is that it isn’t at all cheesy. It’s a very well composed song that keeps your interest the entire time, because it doesn’t get too predictable or redundant, yet it still has some very strong and beautiful melodies. Mike’s tone on this song is just AMAZING (probably the best on the entire cd) as are many of the ideas he employs, especially rhythmically in his phrasing. He uses his whammy bar in a way that gives the melodies and lines he plays a very nice touch. Overall, this is one hell of a guitar ballad and one of the best I’ve heard in a long time. GRADE: A+
9) Sonata-This short little piece was an idea that started out as a little etude and then Mike decided to further develop it and put it on a Cd. It’s got some very cool arpeggio ideas that Mike is notable for and would definitely make a good picking etude. It’s sounds nice and would surely be fun to learn and play. I like this piece, but my only gripe would be that the keyboard/synth sounds are kind of cheesy. They sound kind of cheap. Other than that, very cool piece. GRADE: B
10) Empty Space in My Heart-This is a very rocking track with some great harmonic ideas and riffs. It’s got kind of a neoclassical, spacey vibe to it. Mike sings and it’s probably one his best singing efforts on the entire record. This song also features some great shredding, but once again, it’s very controlled, melodic, and fits the song. My only gripe, as I talked to Mike about, is the overall sound of this song, production-wise. Every other track on the record sounds great, but this one for some reason isn’t as excellent in the production department. Nonetheless, still a really cool song. GRADE: B+
11) A Cry with No Tears-Mike says this is his favorite track on the record, and I can see why. This ranks right up there with some of the best he’s ever done. He’s got the whole Lydian tonality in this song and it sounds very cool. The melodies, playing (harmonized guitars in many parts), and overall songwriting are wonderful. It’s got a great “hook” that you’ll be humming for a long time. GRADE: A+
12) Somebody Say Yeah-The first thing that stood out to me on this track was Mike’s vocals. They are very good on this song, much like in Empty Space In My Heart, maybe even better. This track has a funky, bluesy, Hendrix sound to it and features some really nice playing by Mike. It’s just a great, solid track all around. Again, I can’t emphasize enough how good of a job Mike did on the vocals on this track, especially considering singing is not his area of expertise. The vocal melodies are very cool. GRADE: A-
13) Majestic Rays-This is one of those solo acoustic tracks that Mike always seems to do on his records. His acoustic sounds great as always and it’s a very nicely composed track, with some very beautiful sounding chords. Overall, a nice track that leads right into the next track, Majestic Rays (Reprise). GRADE: B+
14) Majestic Rays (Reprise)-If you wanted to hear some neoclassical shredding on an acoustic over top of some keyboards, this is your song. For the most part that is what Mike does, but it’s actually kind of interesting. There are some great ideas in it. Overall, it’s a cool track but I would have liked a little more substance and structure. It’s a little too loose for my taste. GRADE: B-
15) Chompin at the Bit-This is another one of those funky, bluesy, jazzy tracks. Wayne Krantz’s influence on his playing and songwriting really comes through on this track. Mike uses a lot of the same kind of melodic ideas, rhythms, and an almost similar tone as well. It was nice to hear Wayne’s influence on this track. GRADE: B+
16) Before a Storm-Mike dives back into the neoclassical genre for this track. It’s just him and keyboards, much like the first track, but this one is much longer and has more of a structure to it. He plays some very cool arpeggio licks on this track and the main melody is just plain evil sounding! The song title fits the song very well in that sense. Even though it isn’t the most structured song and Mike does a bunch of shredding on it, it’s still very enjoyable to listen to. It doesn’t get predictable or boring and the length seems just right. GRADE: A-
17) Matt the Cat-For all of you who don’t know, Mike loves cats. He’s got a bunch of them. This is sort of a fun little track about a cat named Matt, and if you listen to the lyrics they might actually have you laughing a little. Aside from the silly aspect, Mike’s got the whole funky, bluesy, jazzy, and Hendrix kind of vibe going on and it’s really cool. There’s a really nice melodic bluesy and jazzy solo in the beginning, and the solo itself is very good also—some really tasty licks in there. GRADE: B+
18) Fur Ariel-One thing I’ve always noticed in listening to Mike’s music is that his acoustic tracks really stand out as unique. They don’t sound like anyone else’s and I like that, from the tone of his acoustic to the actual songwriting. This track is no exception, a solo acoustic track written for one of his cats. It’s very beautiful and it’s a great way to end the cd. GRADE: A
Conclusion: If there’s one record to start with if you want to hear a sampling of just about everything Mike does, this is the record for you. It has practically everything: neoclassical shred tracks, funky, jazzy/bluesy vocal tracks, solo acoustic tracks, a great ballad, etc. In this sense, it’s sort of similar to his Full Circle album, being that it has a mix of different styles. However, I must say that compared to the days of Full Circle, Mike’s songwriting has improved dramatically, his own unique style has become more developed, and his playing is much more “mature”. That’s something I’ve always been telling Mike as a fan: you can shred, but have some control and put it in places that fit. That’s what separates the great players and the good ones. Well on this record, Mike finally did that. When he shreds, it fits the song and more importantly, it’s melodic. His other records are good also, but this one (in my opinion of course) is a better overall record than any one of the other three, from production, to playing, to songwriting. There just simply isn’t a “bad” song on this record. So, if you’re looking for all-out shredding, this isn’t the record for you. If you are however looking for some of the more tasteful guitar playing and songwriting in a number of different styles that you’ve heard in a while, then this will be a favorite in your collection for a long time.
OVERALL GRADE: A