photo by Gretchen Johnson; photo courtesy of Glass Onyon PR

Album Review of Vinnie Moore: Double Exposure

Renowned progressive rock shredder Vinnie Moore recently released Double Exposure, which I learned (thanks to the press material) is his first solo album to include vocals. The 12-track album begins with six songs with vocals followed by six instrumental cuts. The vocalists on the first half of the disc include Ed Terry (Rage And Beyond, American Mafia), Keith Slack (MSG, Mother Road), Mike DiMeo (Riot) and Brian Stephenson (Old James). Of course, Vinnie surrounds himself with top-shelf musicians as well, including Richie Monica (Billy Cox, Popa Chubby, Tantric) on drums, Michael Bean and Pete Griffin (Steve Vai, Dweezil Zappa) on bass, John Cassidy on keyboards, and John Pessoni on drums.

One of the cool things about Vinnie is that he’s not just a progressive fret-jockey. You can catch elements of classic rock, blues, and a little funky rhythm in his axework, which is one reason his music is likely to be a fun listen for guitar rock fans whose tastes extend throughout guitar-driven rock ‘n roll, well beyond the boundaries of prog.

Double Exposure opens with some exceedingly tuneful shredding from Moore, opening the funky-bluesy “Vertical Horizon.” Vinnie works a lot of deftly-maneuvered guitar runs and nifty riffs into this song… and, of course, throughout the rest of the disc.

image courtesy of Glass Onyon PR

Songs two (“Rise”) and four (“Paid My Dues”) are axe-powered, hard-driving rock ‘n roll numbers that you’ll love for their power and, of course, their ample opportunity to showcase Vinnie’s shredding.

Sandwiched between those two, “Still Waters Run Deep” has very Boston-like harmonies and chorus climaxes, while Vinnie’s guitar parts are a little more understated, and in the bridge I might even refer to the guitarwork as “noodling.” It’s a cool, slight change of pace, though of course the song has its shredding gutiar solo moments, too.

“River Flow” is a hard rock ballad that flows through the verses and the chorus and, of course, has that long guitar solo in a mid/late-song bridge, something that’s a staple of any decent power ballad. It compares closely to a Mr. Big ballad, particularly the vocals, in which Ed Terry seems to be channeling Eric Martin.

Finally, “Hummingbird” is a mainstream, crossover-capable rock song supported by a more modestly-implemented guitar line. Though Keith Slack’s vocals are of the big-time progressive rock soaring variety, in some of the softer spots and with some very specific phrasing, his voice also reminds me of country artist Jay Taylor, who I reviewed in the Blog a few years ago. I can’t decide if the song is structured more like Southern rock or laid-back California rock. And with all of those disparate comparisons in mind, it’s almost certainly the non-pigeonholeableness of “Hummingbird” that attracts me to this, my favorite song on the album. The broad range of surface-level influences could expand this song’s fan base beyond that of the rest of the disc; plus it’s just a way-catchy, fun, kinda laid-back, rockin’ tune.

Following “Hummingbird,” the back side of the disc is all-instrumental.

Kicking off the instrumentals, “Astro Man” and “Breaking Through” are funky, a little bluesy, and lean progressive. “In Too Deep” has a more straight-ahead, classic rock rhythm, though it’s still chock-full of Vinnie’s nimble guitar runs. “Rocket,” which follows, brings back a little of the funk, steering it toward more of a sidewinding hard rock vibe.

Penultimate track “One Day” is my favorite of the instrumental numbers. It seems to play more in the open spaces, sporting a guitar tone and tempo akin to “River Flow.”

“Southern Highway” closes the disc, and while I may be influenced by the song’s title, that’s exactly what it sounds like, a laid-back traveling song along a pleasant highway journey. A journey filled with Vinnie Moore’s dazzlingly tuneful guitarwork, obvs.

If you enjoy guitar-driven rock featuring intricate axework that spans – or, more aptly, dances along – the classic-progressive rock divide, then you probably already know Vinnie Moore. But if you don’t – or if you didn’t know about this release – then you should give this album a listen.

Looking Ahead

Vinnie is currently on a European tour that runs through October 7th. Check out the “tour” page of Vinnie’s website for dates and locations of his upcoming shows.