I’m sure we’re all familiar with Richie today; fronting The Winery Dogs, and a successful solo artist where he possesses one of the most amazing soulful voices of anyone. His style is very rock mixed with soul. Back in the midsts of time however, he was known for being a monster shredder and this is his third album released in ’91 through Shrapnel. If you love guitar as I do, then this is a must have. I’ve always found Richie different to most shredders of this period, as it wasn’t just about playing 10,000 notes as quick as possible, it was about adding melody and groove to the pieces.
Funk opens up Side 1 and this emphasizes my point perfectly; some great guitar, some serious groove, and tons of melody. Electric Toy has a quirky time signature to keep it interesting. Shufina is a blues beefed up blues shuffle. Acid Lips is pure shred with the Hot For Teacher beat and groove. Slow Blues does exactly what it says on the tin but with some incredible playing. High Wire has a strange dual harmony guitar, and has an entry for the fretboard olympics. Dr. Glee has a slight country feel to it, and again those dual harmony pieces are all over this track. Hot Rails is peddle to the metal slide, and you don’t see Richie do that too much. The Deece Song ends the album, and this song is all about technique. It’s one of those songs where you ask yourself “how the hell does he do that?” For guitar nerds.
8.5/10 from The Grooveman.
