Joe Satriani - Unstoppable Momentum (2013)

 

Joe Satriani - Unstoppable Momentum

Score: 3.9

As Joe Satriani released his 14th studio album in late Spring of 2013, some people may have been wondering if the guitar legend was running out of creative steam.  "Unstoppable Momentum" doesn't only describe Satriani's music career to a tee, but it is also a pretty cool album title as well.

THE GOOD: 

The creative genius in Satriani has not simmered just yet, and the satch man proves that fact with another entirely instrumental record.  The title track "Unstoppable Momentum" brings some question as to what the album is going to actually sound like, but you can tell that his signature tone and sound is very much there. The second track "Can't Go Back" may be the strongest piece on the record filled with soaring and emotional melodies that will be stuck in your head for days.

"Lies And Truths" is a hard rocker and Satch really takes off on the second half of the song.

The single "A Door Into Summer" got some airplay prior to and after the album's release...The song is catchy, but nothing special.

Personally, I feel the 2nd half of the album really explodes into something special with the songs "Jumpin In" and "Jumpin Out". These 2 tracks are full of gnarly sounding blues riffs, and mind blowing solos from the man himself.  "The Weight Of The World" blasts through next which is another hard hitting groove, mainly showcasing the tightness of the band.

THE BAD: 

"Three Sheets To The Wind" has a few nice segments but it really sounds like it is 2 completely different songs, and not exactly in a good way.  The corny sounding brass patch on Mike Keneally's keyboard sounds awful!

"Shine On American Dreamer" just bored me, and I couldn't get into the groove.  It sounds like Satriani parodying himself...The album closer "A Celebration" was not necessarily a horrible song, but you could have definitely closed the record which a much stronger message/song.

THE FINAL THOUGHT:

This obviously wasn't the best Satriani album, but this man keeps proving one thing...he's consistent.  As much as I like Buckethead, Satch isn't pulling the marketing gimic of releasing albums of noise and basement recordings.  He is releasing albums with great writing and awesome material.  I don't think any other solo guitarist has released this much material on a consistent basis and had this much success.  Since 1998, Steve Vai has only released 4 studio albums, Steve Morse has released 4 studio albums, Eric Johnson has released 3 studio albums, and Joe Satriani has released 8 just to compare. 

The record starts out strong but then begins to fall short towards after track 3 (Lies And Truths).  This is a crucial part of an album when you are experiencing a listening session all the way through.  The album does pick back up but ends on a stale note with "A Celebration" which really leaves the listener a bit confused and possibly unsatisfied.  However, the strong tracks like rockers "Can't Go Back", "Lies And Truths", "Jumpin In", and "Jumpin Out" definitely rule over the songs that bore...