Customer Reviews

The Ultra Zone

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

If you think Vai is pretentious, you will hate this album. If you admire the guy's absolute creativity and passion for what he does, and also his sense of humour, you will love it. I would fall into the latter category. I discovered Vai only a year or so ago, and my first album was Fire Garden, which I bought last December. you could say I'm new to his world. I can't wait to explore the rest of it, too. On this album Vai offers a plethora of soundscapes, grooves, moods and riffs. In fact, I would say he writes the most memorable riffs I have ever heard (just listen to the hard-rocker 'Here I Am') Having recently been to see Steve, I was keen to buy the album. I was not disappointed. I listen to tracks like 'Jibboom' and think, "I SAW the guy do that!" I'm not saying that I believed half the stuff I saw that night, because I didn't. The only disappointment i suffered was that his 'band' - comprised of Keneally, Mangini and Bynoe - didn't feature largely on the album, as on the occasions they did, memorable moments were created. None more memorable and powerful than the Grammy-nominated 'Windows To The Soul'. In my estimation, as close as he or anyone else will ever come to the passion of 'For The Love Of God', which must be seen live. Other album highlights include the sleeper, 'Oooo', rewarding to the patient listener, the ballad 'I'll Be Around' (who said he couldn't sing?), and the racy energy of the title track.

I would recommend this album only to people who appreciate good music that really grows on you, as opposed to pop fast-food that gets forgotten in a week, and played a decade later on one-hit wonder specials.

You will always here the cries of "Well, I like Steve's stuff from before but his new stuff is so, uh, weird!" That's right, folks. You are hearing music that you've never heard before. No musical formulas and hackage that you can find on the radio or MTV...this is the real deal. And just when you think Vai might do one thing next, he surprises you with another. With Sex and Religion he threw Devin Townshend into the mix and went out there with arrangements that sometimes bordered on thrash. With Alien Love Secrets, he showed us that he doesn't need 48 tracks to do his thing. He just needs a bassist and a drummer. On Fire Garden he showed us how much he's retained his Zappa roots and that, yes, he CAN sing. Now on Ultra Zone he goes even a little electronic and even writes almost a pop ballad (I'll Be Around For A While) yet it's not cheesy (just listen to the solo for Christ's sake!). So, whiners, GET OVER IT. Vai does different things. Expand your musical horizons. Listen to jazz, to Zappa, to Indian "sitar music," to Vai...

I've never heard anything from Steve Vai's solo albums (except for the song 'The Audience Is Listening' from a while back). I'm most familiar with his work with Zappa and David Lee Roth. Well, I heard the song 'OOOO' on the local public radio station, and though not blown away, was surprised to hear the DJ say that it was Vai. Learning that he had a new CD out, I figured I'd check it out...and I was not disappointed. This CD is amazing. Not only does Steve play beautiful guitar, but he impresses as a songwriter as well. The music is orignal and intricate, but accessible, displaying a diversity of styles...very little heavy metal or shredding. This is truly a piece of art. His vocals aren't too shabby, either. Standout tracks are 'Frank,' 'Windows to the Soul,' 'The Silent Within,' and 'Lucky Charms' (which is the most Zappa-inspired piece on the disc, complete with munchkin vocals).

I realized something recently. In terms of sheer play--nearly three years of it--my favorite Steve Vai CD is THE ULTRA ZONE. I find this surprising because at first I found the CD disappointing: (1) It has fewer displays of sheer virtuosity than his other CDs. (2) There is nothing phonier than "multiculturalism" and "world-music" eclecticism, and such songs as "The Blood and Tears," "The Ultra Zone," "The Silent Within," "Lucky Charms," and "Asian Sky" contain a host of world music chiches. (3) Steve indulges his fascination for "Chipmunks" style voices in "Voodoo Acid" and "Lucky Charms." (4) "Voodoo Acid," "The Silent Within," "I'll be Around," "Here I Am," and "Asian Sky" are ROCK SONGS, with lyrics, singing, etc. And I usually HATE rock songs. Pure kid stuff.

BUT, the more I listened, the more I liked.

The instrumental cuts are fantastic, my favorites being "Frank," "Windows of the Soul," "Lucky Charms," and "Fever Dreams." "Frank" is a tribute to Frank Zappa that does not sound like a Frank Zappa song. I just sounds like Frank. "Lucky Charms" does remind me of Zappa's most fiendishly complex "tinkly" music like "Alien Orifice" and "Moggio." "Fever Dreams" has a similar quality in places, but more melodic grandeur. The "sound" reminds me of RUSH circa MOVING PICTURES. "Windows of the Soul" is the seventh song: a slow, "devotional," ethereal song. Gorgeous!

As compositions, "The Blood and Tears," "The Ultra Zone," "The Silent Within," "Lucky Charms," and "Asian Sky" are so good that they transcend the world music cliches, and "The Blood and Tears" and "The Silent Within" reflect a certain spiritual seriousness on Steve's part, which is impressive given how flaky most Western approaches to Eastern religion are.

Listen to any great Rock and Roll album, any Beatles record, any Stones record, any Queen record: There is always some comic relief. I could not stand a whole album of Chipmunks voices, but "Voodoo Acid" and "Lucky Charms" are entertaining cuts with magnificent guitar playing.

As for the songs. First, Steve's singing is WONDERFUL. "Voodoo Acid" and "Asian Sky" may be piffle, but they are entertaining, virtuosic piffle. The words may be strange, but they are not stupid and annoying. As for "The Silent Within," "I'll be Around," and "Here I Am": THESE ARE MAGNIFICENT SONGS. The lyrics are intelligent, original, devoid of cliches and mush. The sentiments they express are mature. "The Silent Within" is a philosophical song: a song about searching for meaning and transcendence in the face of death. "I'll be Around" is a gorgeous ballad about mature things like love, committment, vulnerability, emotional honesty, and trust. "Here I Am" is a rock song with a soaring grandeur that reminds me of Hendrix's "Purple Haze" and "All Along the Watch-Tower." It too deals with committment, trust, and emotional openness. I can't get enough of this track.

I have grown up with Steve Vai's music. It is a pleasure to see that he has been growing too.

Steve returns with his most innovative album yet! It kind of reminds me of a heavy, futuristic-sounding Frank Zappa in some respects, and is perhaps Steve's most rhythmically complex work to date. And there are all kinds of interesting time signatures for you progressive rock types. I would highly recommend this album to anyone looking for something different - and beware for that matter, for a lot of people seem to have problems digesting this one because it is certainly different from anything Steve has done before. I would say this is tied with Passion and Warfare for my favorite Steve Vai albums. But then again, Fire Garden and Alien Love Secrets are great too... Bottom line? This is some really powerful stuff that represents one of Steve's most innovative and ambitious works to date IMHO. Pick it up!

I've been a very long time Vai fan, but never picked this album up until today. The opening track got me as I'm a huge fan of Indian music and culture. There was no needless soloing in it, just a powerful feeling. OOOO and Lucky Charms (which has a Flex-able vibe) are my two other favorite tracks. The vocal tracks just don't have much melody to them and can't hold a candle to the ones on Sex & Religion and Fire Garden. It's good to get if you're a Vai fan, but start with Passion & Warfare, Disturbing the Peace (Alcatrazz), or Eat 'em & Smile (David Lee Roth).

First, I'm a big fan of Steve's music. But this recording makes very little sense. The first five songs range from good to great. Then the last eight songs range from bad to confusing to dreadful. I can't understand how such a fantastic musician, with such great feeling, and depth of emotion can create such a mess. He has the skills!! I have most of Steve's recordings, and this stands out as a near disaster. Mostly disapointing.

This is one of the great albums of rock.
To me the best of this work is Tracks 8 & 9: The Silent Within is about what it means to be a human being. ("God only knows and He ain't talkin'.") I'll Be Around is about being someone for someone else. Very profound and beautiful.
We're talking about a composer of tremendous musical creativity and religious depth, in the true heritage of Bach, Wagner and Rachmaninoff.
Actually, Steve Vai's career very much resembles that of Rachmaninoff: In his 20's one of the great virtuosos of his instrument, then transformed into a composer of extraordinary creativity, depth and beauty.
One wonders, what's going on at Rolling Stone? Here, if anywhere, one expects to find people who can recognise great talent, especially when it's splashed at their front door. "Fire Garden", "The Ultra Zone" and "Real Illusions: Reflections" should be way up there on the list of best albums.
I think I have part of the answer: Till recently, there has been a schism between rock and religion. One sees that within the Vai community: Many of his enthusiastic fans have had problems with his recent Ultra Zone and Real Illusions.
Well, welcome to the present. Rock has come of age. Good rock today is about God-togetherness - or loss of it. And it's not standard hallelujah-cliches, but in the great tradition of Bach, Wagner and Rachmaninoff.
There's one thing that mystifies me about this album: Why is the volume here lower than on all other Vai-albums? (I have an entirely official recording.)

Vai produces another album of great creativity: from the hyper-blues Jibboom to vocal pop tracks such as The Silent Within and Asian Sky (with Japanese group B'z) to the musical highlights on this album, The Blood & Tears and Windows To The Soul - for which Vai was nominated for a Grammy. These last two tracks mark the best example of a more developed musical sensibility first introduced in Fire Garden, in which Vai leaves behind some of his rock music cliches ("the scum and smut that my ego threw up" - see below) and focuses instead on using the guitar as an instrument of pure music. (As opposed to rock guitar, uhh, 'self-gratification'.)

The rather unusual track, Voodoo Acid, while no doubt open to interpretation, is actually about music itself. Complete with a nod to an important early musical inspiration of Vai's, namely Bernstein's music from West Side Story, (in this case, "Cool") it also covers his recent musical growth. As mentioned earlier, he appears to downplay some of his musical past to contrast between that and his new, more mature approach. In typical Vai fashion the track culminates in much WEIRDNESS....about bees and honey. So, what's that about? I won't get into specifics; it's best to take from it what you will... However, just going by what Vai once explained on his website, the Ultra Zone of the title appears to be a SATORI-like place of music experience. That is what he is alluding to here.

That all said, the practical heart of the album, following the documentary Voodoo Acid - is Windows to the Soul, in traditional #7 . Following this, are mostly vocal efforts, as in the second phase of Fire Garden, and each notable in their own right. Vai has an OK voice, but he's treating it like a perfect instrument (trying to play it like he does his guitar) yet his voice doesn't really live up to this. Thus, he comes across as trying too hard sometimes, the perfectionist that he is.

Needless to say, this album is a must-buy for guitar fans and Vai fans, though meatheads needn't apply.

Thank You Steve for consistently pushing yourself to the limit. To anyone reading... I have never once been disappointed by a Vai recording. Vai is what happens when a man uses his gift to it's fullest potential and allows no limits, no boundaries. My personal favorite on this cd is "Frank"...very powerful...passionate; an excellent tribute to a remarkable man. And the title track...all I have to say is "ahhhhh...The Ultra Zone".