Lion
Music have managed to unearth another very talented
guitarist in the guise of Anand Mahangoe. This guy is
in the vein of Satriani and Vai which was surprising as he
looks more like Tom Morello of Audioslave than those 2
fretboard giants, luckily this means their is more than a
sprinkling of melody combined with fretboard flash. Having a
very accomplished backing section of Mike Terrana (drums),
Nick de Vos (bass) and Rob Faburick on keyboards. Ex Dream
Theater keysman Derek Sherinian also makes a guest
appearance.
Ignoring the song titles (which sound like some cock rock
bands!) we have an album full of great melodies, strong
musical frameworks, a killer production and great guitar
work.
Opener A Dirty Mind
Is... sets the mood for the majority of the album.
Powered along by a strong upbeat riff and being reminiscent
at time of Satriani and Dream Theater, its home to some
superb guitar work. Mike Terrana's dums sound great, but its
the keyboard backing that really does it for me.
Blind Date starts
with a nice hammond organ part that reminds me of Pink Floyd
a little whilst Anand plays some nice root power chords
before picking up the tempo then taking flight for almost 6
minutes of pure class. The thing about Anand's playing is
the melodies, they are memorable, catchy and really bring
the tracks to life. This in turn makes the flashy passages
much stronger. The lead lines here remind me of Vai's best
moments yet the interplay between the other band members add
to the overall depth of the track.
Intimate Dance sees
the tempo drop for some a nice underpinning simple acoustic
line. The bass, drums and keyboard handle the power element
here. The main lead guitar melody is quite Neil Schon -
super melodic with everything that is needed, but not
overdone in any way. This track has everything, extremely
lyrical. Anand makes great use of arpeggios (more in the Vai
than Yngwie vein), yet adds subtle tremolo bar inflections
and great sliding into notes. A great display of melody and
restraint.
Meet Mr Long sees a
strong Satriani vibe enter the album. Again great rhythm
work that sets the basis of the track. The lead lines are
really breathing, similar in feel to Flying In A Blue Dream
(the track) Satriani but its just a killer track. The track
then breaks down into a Surfing With The Alien esque tapping
passage on the bass strings before some nice harmonic minor
licks.
Get Laid
continues the whacky titles. Anand's tone is huge here, with
a big riff coupled by some great keyboard madness from Derek
Sherinian. Yet there is also light and shade. The superb
production is also very much in evidence here with
everything being big (yet not overpowering) and the melodies
again are superb. Now add a vocalist to this line-up and you
have what could possibly be one of the best prog bands ever!
Disillusioned is
home to some more soulful restraint guitar work, again the
band combine exceedingly well, listen for the great bass
runs around 2:08 which build the track very nicely. Anand
then lets fly with some very original licks that are just
stunning. The vibe here again reminds me of Pink Floyd, with
a nice Gilmour touch of class to the solos.
Get Out
changes the mood totally. A very fast track with a very prog-metal
feel. The opening section is incredibly tight before claming
down for the main guitar melody. Anand makes great use of
the wah pedal, using it very lyrically helping to enhance
another strong melody.
Next is Next, the
track reminds me a little of Dream Theater, the lead lines
are again very strong but its the bass work of Nick De Vos
that really stands out here. He has a great tone and really
knows how the anchor the bottom end yet adventure up the
fretboard to keep the track moving. The track is one of the
weaker tracks here, but that only due to the quality
elsewhere.
Onatopp starts out
very progressive in a fusion-vein before picking up in
tempo. Mike Terrana is really laying a groove here. The main
melody of the song has an almost Santana' latin quality to
it. This is even more prevalent in the songs breakdown.
Included here is a cool trade-off between guitars and
keyboards. Another very strong track.
The One is very
relaxed, quite Eric Johnson sounding, with clean electric
guitars and some nice piano work. This then steps up a gear
for the emergence of some more very classy electric work.
Its sounds to me like Johnson, Satriani and a little Vai all
jamming on the track, that basically is another way of
saying the lead work is stunning.
Joy 4 Ever is
another up tempo melodic affair. Great Hammond work
combining with yet another classy melody - Anand's head must
be full of the things!! Its stylistically in line with the
majority of the album, yet it has the original element that
is prevalent throughout this album.
Overall Joy 4 Ever is an
absolutely corking release. 2003 has seem some very high
quality instrumental albums from Marty Friedman, Marcel
Coenen and Joe Stump, but Anand has come out with something
that I found positively enjoyable from start to finish. The
guy has class in every aspect of his work. Sure you can hear
the influences but Joy 4 Ever is stronger than anything
Satriani has put out in over a decade. In short if you just
want to hear some very classy guitar then this album is for
you .....highly recommended.
Anand
Mahangoe created one of the
finest instrumental albums of 2003 with Joy 4 Ever. Now Anand
is back with a re-recorded version of his debut album A Man's
Mind which until now was only available on a small indie
label. Thankfully Lion Music have seen sense to make this
recording available to a wider audience. and thanks to the
improved sound this will be a must have purchase for anyone
that enjoyed the album first time round.