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░ ██ ██ Artist: Dweezil Zappa ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: via zammata' █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2015 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-04-02 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Pledge Music ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Nearly a decade ago, Dweezil Zappa put aside his █
█ own music to concentrate on the admirable task of █
█ keeping his father's considerable catalog of music █
█ alive for the public to hear in performance. Over █
█ the years I have seen the Zappa plays Zappa band █
█ many times over the years, and have witness them █
█ discovering the nuances and "eyebrows" that made █
█ Frank's concerts so special, to the point where at █
█ times, the son has equaled (or even surpassed) the █
█ father with some songs. █
█ It delighted me when I discovered that Dweezil was █
█ working on a new album, and happily contributed to █
█ the online funding site for it. And it certainly █
█ paid off well. █
█ Dweezil used his ZPZ musicians as the core group █
█ for this album, so the technical ability is top █
█ notch. █
█ Anyone expecting this to be a clone of Frank's █
█ work may come away disappointed. Although Dweezil █
█ uses many of the techniques his dad employed to █
█ embellish and energize his music, he definitely █
█ has his own unique personal vision and style. The █
█ only track that sounds like it could have come █
█ from an FZ album is the opener, Funky 15, which █
█ has the feel of the type of song Frank would use █
█ to open a show, with a reasonable simple vamp, █
█ with tight instrumental orchestration and a wide █
█ space for a guitar solo. █
█ And while I'm writing about guitar solos, Dweezil █
█ appears to be purposefully avoiding the FZ guitar █
█ sounds and riff that he masters so well with ZPZ, █
█ using his own musical voice, which often sounds to █
█ me like a blend of Steve Vai and Eddie Van Halen █
█ (not surprisingly, as Dweezil has learned from █
█ both of those masters). █
█ The majority of the compositions are in a power █
█ pop style, with his band providing a dense and █
█ sometimes complex landscape for Dweezil to sing █
█ over. Dweezil's lyrics are very enjoyable as well. █
█ They are humorous and clever, while mostly █
█ avoiding the dark cynicism that permeated his █
█ father's work. █
█ Especially notable are Dragon Master, a metal █
█ track, with lyrics credited to Frank, that sounds █
█ like a catalog of modern metal clichΘs played to █
█ extreme (a parody, I suspect, by both the lyrics █
█ and the music), and Malkovich featuring a reading █
█ by the titled guest artist, and an ingenious █
█ refrain. █
█ I'm not sure if this album is better than █
█ Dweezil's 2006 album, "Go With What You Know", but █
█ is sure is fun to listen to. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Funky 15 5:07 ░
░ 2. Rat Race 2:41 ░
░ 3. Dragon Master 5:27 ░
░ 4. Malkovich 3:26 ░
░ 5. On Fire 2:38 ░
░ 6. Nothing 5:40 ░
░ 7. Hummin' 3:58 ░
░ 8. Truth 5:08 ░
░ 9. What If 4:04 ░
░ 10. Jaws of Life 3:47 ░
░ 11. Just the Way She Is 4:50 ░
░ 12. Billionaire's Son 3:26 ░
░ 50:12 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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