Year: 2019
Total Time: 45:26
Label: Mind’s Eye Music
As UFO complete their final tour in 2020 (a year that also marks Vinnie Moore’s 17th year with the band), the virtuoso guitarist presents us his ninth personal album! As a solo artist, Moore released his debut album entitled “Mind’s Eye” back in 1986, followed by eight more albums, from 1988’s “Time Odyssey” to the latest “Soul Shifter”. Moore’s 9th work (released on Wednesday, October 9, 2019 through Mind’s Eye Music), is a collection of instrumental songs, Soul-and-Blues-oriented, with many guest musicians, from Rudy Sarzo and Jordan Rudess, to Richie Monica and John Pessoni on drums, Michael Bean on bass and John Cassidy on keys.
So, “Soul Shifter” is a Hard Rock album with lots of funk and jazz elements. Elements we can easily find scattered on the album, from the funk that dominates the starter “Funk Bone Jam”, also very obvious elements in “Kung Fu Grip” which is also really interesting, musically speaking. The solely instrumental albums are based on the artist’s skill and ability to perform as well as on the songs themselves. Moore demonstrates why the best guitarists need not only technical training but also the ability to make their songs “speak”, even if there are no lyrics!
Moore’s technical grandeur is demonstrated in pieces such as the easy-listening “Shame Sun Shines”, the very slim “Mystified”, the “Mirage” and the “Over the Ages”. And so, without being talkative or relying on huge solos, the album has a cohesive theme with emphasis on the song’s structure rather than the intense appearance of different styles.
“Soul Shifter” lasts no more than 45 minutes, enough time to demonstrate Vinnie Moore’s dominance in various styles, genres and sounds of acoustic and electric guitars. Vinnie Moore is the guitarist, songwriter and producer of “Soul Shifter”, which is probably the best orchestral album of 2019. Instrumental Rock albums are truly rare nowadays and few musicians are able to release this kind of records and make you have fun. There’s something for everyone at “Soul Shifter”, a delight for Rock fans, fans of the six-stringed goddess and musicians in general.
Rating: 7/10
Editor: Fanouris Exintavelonis
Related Link: VINNIE MOORE – Official Page
