Customer Reviews

I on U

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Let me start off by saying that I am a huge fan of Journey. So naturally I approach this CD with some positive bias. BUT, I am also a big fan of instrumental CDs of all sorts, including New Age, Movie Soundtracks, what have you. I have bought most of Joe Satriani's albums and I am a big fan of Eddie Van Halen. I personally think that guitar work on this album is superior to any of Neal Schon's previous albums. The emotion and soul that this album evokes is definitely superior. Maybe some people who love Satriani, Steve Vai, or Malmsteen won't think this guitar album measures up, BUT when one listens to this album as an instrumental CD IT IS SPECTACULAR. This music grabs me and moves me. I love it. I love this CD. I love Neal Schon. Wow. This CD has emotion and soul and it is just gorgeous and moving music.

I have always been a fan of Journey and of Neal Schon guitar playing. But, I have to admit, I wasn't very impressed with Neal's solo works. That is until I heard "I On U." Yes, this is another rock guitarist showing his "chops !!" However, this time there are nice textures in these songs. The use of counterpoint techniques and underlying melodies make this a real nice album. When I heard the song "I On U" my first reactions was, How many different moldies are in this song. And to top it off it builds and then changes again. This is one well written song for guitar!!!
The remaining songs on the album follow with different textures as Neal paints different emotions and melodies. The album does have a bit of a techno feel to it as there is a wide use of synth drums and drum machines. I think I would have rathered heard some real drumming, but this works okay.
Nice Job Neal..

This is the album I've been waiting for Joe Satriani (or Steve Vai, for that matter) to release lately - melodic, soaring, modern-sounding - everything the last retread Satch album wasn't. In fact, the underlying electronica here is similar to what Satch tried with varying degrees of success on his "Engines of Creation" album, but without the cold computer rhythms and machine-like quality of that release. Neal Schon has been slowly becoming one of my favorite shredders over the last decade - I've gone back to the Steve Perry-era Journey albums that I once dismissed entirely, and have totally rediscovered Neal's incredible playing on those releases. And while this album is very similar to what Joe and Steve have been doing (melody-infused instrumental jazz-rock fusion), Neal simply soars on these tracks. The combination of his playing as well as his tone makes this album one of the best of the genre. Hearing it makes me feel like I'm cruising a desert highway at dusk with the hot sun setting and the warm wind blowing in the windows! Yeah, THAT kind of album. Don't miss it!

I very rarely take the time to write an on line review, though I have had the pleasur or reviewing for allmusic.com Schon's 89 release Late Nite. After listening to I on You . This may not be Schon's best (let the fans argue over that), but I on You is exhilirating and imaginative from start to finish. It's clearly Neal's most open attempt at modernity. All too often that can be a curse, but Schon builds from the ground up and all of the tracks have a strong melodic center. In fact, Schon re-invents the whole concept here in a way that only he, and other true artists can.

I took a little time to read some of reviews that are out there fo for this CD, and I can only partially agree with the Steve Vai & Joe Satriani nods. I'm fond of there work, but both lack the great melodic vision that Schon has serving up consistently for almost 30 years. The fact that he has re-invent his signature sound throughout this span, and not lose his audience along the way, is remarkable. Few can make this boast. In many ways Schon has eclipsed all of the rock guitarists.

A previous reviewer (Barbara from NY) begs the question, "If this isn't grammy material- what is?" A great question. The direction the Grammy's have taken, though, doesn't instill a lot of hope in that regard. This leads me to think, if Neal Schon's collective body of work is not Rock and Roll hall of fame worthy, then the hall of fame has no credibility.

As a guitar fan I'd have to say that this is my favourite Neal Schon solo album after Beyond The Thunder. They're a differnt style from one another though, so perhaps the comparison is unfair...both are great listening though.

All told this is an excellent album, very easy listening and never, ever boring. I don't agree with another reviewer's comments that this album sounds like a Satch or Vai effort - if you have more than a cursory interest in their music you'd be able to tell Schon, Vai and Satriani from one another in the bat of an eyelid.

Don't hesitate to buy it - Schon fans (and anyone who likes the guitar genre) will not be disappointed.

..that is where his true expression come out. While this CD in not groundbreaking it is excellent and solid.

Have to disagree with the first reviewer-the first 3 Journey albums before Steve Perry are the best. While there is nothing wrong with pop-rock, Steve Perry was forced on the band by the record company.

I HAVE GIVEN I ON YOU 5 STARS IT IS A GREAT CD.IT,S LIKE NEAL HAS FUSED EVERYTHING HE HAS EVER PLAYED INTO ONE AWSOME CD.HE NEVER STOPS COMING UP WITH SOMETHING NEW AND DELIVERING THE GOODES.
THERE WOULD SOMETHING ON HERE FOR ALL GUITARISTS TO GET INTO.
NEAL IS ONE OF THE HARDEST WORKING MUSOS IN THE INDUSTRY IF IT,S NOT THE MELODIC MAJESTY OF JOURNEY THEN ITS THE GUITAR HEAVY SOULSIRKUS ALL IN ALL NEAL HAS SHOWN ON THIS CD ONCE AGAIN HOW GREAT A PLAYER HE IS.NOW IF ONLY VAI AND SATRIANI WOULD PUT NEAL ON A G3 TOUR WHAT TOUR THAT WOULD BE.
SO TO WRAP UP GO AND BY THIS CD IT IS A TRUELY AMAZING MUSICAL JOURNEY FROM START TO FINISH.

The Good
I like how Schon can implant an image or vision with his guitar playing. "Blue Passion" elicits the feeling of taking flight and coasting through a vast blue sky. Neal leans toward the melodic side of soloing here, but shreds when the time is right. "I On U" has a futuristic feel to it with its cosmic keyboard tones and fluid guitar work. "Timeless Motion" has hints of a techno background mixed with some lucid piano. "The Chamber" relies heavily on electronic percussive effects. It has a real soulful feel to it. Is that turntable scratching I hear?

"Burning Bridges" is one of the more up-tempo tracks and one of the few that utilize a riff, rather than the single note soloing that Schon uses through most of the album. As the song nears its conclusion, Neal lays down some really unique sounds. You can hear a Middle Eastern influence on "It Can Happen" with its guitar tone, chimes, and style. You can practically feel the passion and emotion coming out of Neal's head by way of his fingers on the ballad "Father".

The Bad
It's not really that bad, but I would have liked it if Schon mixed up his guitar tone a little more.

The Verdict
Neal Schon explores his melodic side with I On U. It may not be what you're used to hearing from him, but as with all Neal Schon side projects, you really can't go wrong.

Well, I like this album very much and I like it just because it is different from a typical guitar instrumental album, or better because it has some unusual ideas (or not very common). Many people tend to dislike this album because there's not a real band playing with Neal but sequencer bases and electronic drums tracks. Well I precisely love this one ALSO for these reasons. I mean, normally I love bands over computer things of course, but if the experiment is well done, sometimes it is interesting to hear something different made with machines. Frank Zappa did fantastic things with computers (in "Jazz from Hell" and "Civilization Phase III" for example), Jeff Beck did great stuff with computer bases and electronic loops in his albums "Jeff" and Satriani did great music (in my opinion) in his album "Engines of creation". Prodigy shocked the world with their fantastic gem "The fat of the land" completly made out of a computer. And what about Shawn Lane's "Powers of ten" which was made entirely with a computer (plus Shawn's guitar of course)? It is one of the greatest guitar albums of all time! So this is Neal's turn, let's judge this music for what it is. I don't compare this album to the others in the Neal's discography and I don't expect Neal to play every album, every time the same stuff. I'm open minded and I'm always ready to judge the music for what it is, no matter if there's a band or a computer playing, or if it's a style or another. Consequently I approached this album very positively because it intrigued me to see if Neal's could do something good with loops and electronic bases. But to be absolutly precise he did something similar in some tunes from his double album "Electric world" even if that one was based on a more calm approach. "Beyond the thunder" (Neal's album the most people love) was a another softer album (even if totally "played" by musicians) and a more melodic effort than this one. IonU is more aggressive, it is very near a shred guitar album. They are impossible to compare. Here Neal indulges more on his chops and it is great music because Neal's is one of the greatest in the rock idiom for sure. The eletronic drums-keyboards sounds in IonU are very pleasing to me, just for the reason that they don't want to sound similar to the real things. They are computer generated sounds and you clearly hear this ... but they are very good sounds! Technology isn't s a bad thing, it depends on how you use it ... Here in my opinion it is used very well. The melodies and themes of the songs are interesting and various and Neal does a very good fretboard work that sends shivers down your spine. It is a very modern album that I would not suggest to the traditional guys. It's a rock guitar instrumental album, with strong melodies, a very explosive style, with modern sounds and very good arrangements. I love it, thanks Neal! (the artwork is really nice too)

I love this CD. I can't stop playing it. Maybe there are sublimminal messages in it that prevent you from turning it off?? It is simply intoxicating. I have not taken it out of my CD player since I got it two weeks ago. There is not one filler in there. You cannot pay me to stop listening to this -- it is that good. If this is not Grammy material, I don't know what is.