Label: Sony Music
Release date: 12.01.2018
Production: Mike Fraser
Album length: 51.16 min
Genre: Instrumental Rock / Art Rock
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Joe Satriani is a legend of the genre-coined “instrumental guitar rock” variety. The man who holds nearly the record for Grammy nominations without ever being handed a single win has decided to kick off this year by seriously warming us up through the winter with his trademark guitar temperament, greeting us with his sixteenth studio album in total, “What Happens Next”.
Satriani decided to simplify his style once again on this one and go back to his familiar elementary roots, or, to put it more “romantically”, to the days of carefree childlike naivety, the way rock’n’roll once was too. I can’t remember Satriani ever working with such a stripped-down lineup while writing a new album in the studio. In his whole long and rich career, no less. This time he invited just two musicians, but two prominent names who, on the global rock scale, are real giant rock massifs. Glenn Hughes (Black Country Communion, solo, ex-Deep Purple, ex-Black Sabath, ex-Trapeze) on bass, and Satriani’s Chickenfoot bandmate, drummer Chad Smith, better known to everyone as an integral member of Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Smith also knows Hughes very well, having played with Glenn on Glenn’s solo studio albums. So there’s no hide-and-seek going on in this trio. The album unfolds very naturally, very relaxed, very sincere. Hypermusical, which is simply a constant when it comes to Joe Satriani’s guitar playing, but this time Satriani threw out every chance of experimenting in his own music.
True, the man isn’t telling us anything new with this album, but “What Happens Next” feels incredibly sincere, real, genuine, speaks to you with bubbling optimism, and carries a true sense of direct rock fire and glow. All the things that have always distinguished the career of this guitar grandmaster and that always tip the scales in his favor. Satriani once again tried out a few different rhythmic keys on these tracks, forming the “typical chassis” for the new riffs, where the master of six-string guitar theory naturally wows us once more with his signature guitar antics, led by a heap (the proverbially obligatory dose, really) of whammy wailing. “What Happens Next” is once again a colorful, idea-rich record that constantly communes with that recognizable Satriani attitude of charmingly mischievous teasing, which is part of his ever-cheerful character anyway. There are lots of songs again. When aren’t there, with Satriani’s new albums? Let me finally be more precise. With the new album, Satriani gets closer to the days of his records from two decades ago, like “Crystal Planet”. And the stylistic turn that “What Happens Next” represents is logically closer to his early studio work than to the era of its two experimentally spiced predecessors (“Unstoppable Momentum” and “Shockwave Supernova”). Here’s a slightly spicy jab to help you get your bearings. In terms of performance, “What Happens Next” would be hugely, hugely boring for a musician of the Mike Keneally caliber. Satriani’s guitar language thus gets a full 100% of the expressive, performance-driven room for his new confession.
On this album, then, Satriani has served up a spread of twelve new tracks, composed in a stripped-down rock fashion, keeping up a note of directness and, as a result, shining with the glow of holy rock simplicity. To that end, Satriani also brought in another producer. That’s Mike Fraser, an old Satriani acquaintance, from that very same “Crystal Planet” album. The guitar sound is again more pouty, and in the production it stares you down noticeably in the mix. The guitar is thickened, practically “greased up” even further, which gives the album the groove kinetics of a direct rock stance and an almost live-gig exuberance. The drums are played so simply that Satriani could have “pounded them out” himself, or programmed them. “What Happens Next” is as musical as can be and creeps into your ear in no time. Satriani remains incredible. He stays hugely focused, fiercely committed to realizing his new ideas and new album. He’s not short on dynamite. Both in ideas and in composition. As for the playing, there’s no need to waste time or words. His fans already have this album at home, before they’ve even found this review online.
author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Tracklist:
01. Energy
02. Catbot
03. Thunder High On The Mountain
04. Cherry Blossoms
05. Righteous
06. Smooth Soul
07. Headrush
08. Looper
09. What Happens Next
10. Super Funky Badass
11. Invisible
12. Forever And Ever
Lineup:
Joe Satriani – guitar
Glenn Hughes – bass
Chad Smith – drums
