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░ ██ ██ Artist: Vinnie Moore ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Soul Shifter █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2019 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2020-01-11 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Instrumental Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Mind's Eye Music ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ A young Vinnie Moore, age 12, saw a guitar in a █
█ JCPenney catalog that he wanted for Christmas. █
█ Within a year, Moore decided that playing a guitar █
█ was going to be his chosen life-long profession. █
█ After taking lessons from (Delaware instructors) █
█ Mary Biddle and Nick Bucci, a student of legendary █
█ jazz guitarist Pat Martino, Moore has consistently █
█ risen above his contemporaries with both his █
█ guitar virtuosity, as well as his commercial █
█ musical output. Mooreæs latest album, Soul █
█ Shifter, which gets released publicly on October █
█ 9, 2019, is yet another example of those █
█ aforementioned claims. Soul Shifter is Mooreæs █
█ ninth full length solo studio album. Mooreæs first █
█ album, 1986Æs awe-inspring Shrapnel Records █
█ classic, MindÆs Eye, continues to be revered as █
█ one of the greatest rock guitar albums of its █
█ generation. █
█ Soul Shifter is Mooreæs first solo album since █
█ 2015Æs Aerial Visions. Since recording The █
█ Salentino Cuts with UFO in 2017, (Mooreæs sixth █
█ studio album with the band), Vinnie Moore has █
█ toured and recorded at a breakneck pace by █
█ performing upwards of 175 concerts around the █
█ world as a solo artist and with UFO. Additionally, █
█ Moore has recorded guitar solos that are featured █
█ on former Ozzy Osbourne and current Firewind █
█ guitarist Gus G.æs 2018 single ôForce Majeure,ö █
█ and on the 2019 album Wired For Madness by Dream █
█ Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess who appeared on █
█ Mooreæs 1988 Billboard 200 charting album Time █
█ Odyssey. Soul Shifter makes its debut in the midst █
█ of concert dates with UFO on their Last Orders █
█ 50th Anniversary Tour. Moore has been a member of █
█ UFO since 2003. Mooreæs tenure as UFOæs lead █
█ guitarist is longer than any of his predecessors. █
█ Fans of rock, metal, blues, jazz, and contemporary █
█ guitar will be ecstatic upon hearing all of Soul █
█ Shifteræs ten tracks. █
█ Soul Shifter begins with ôFunk Bone Jam.ö As the █
█ title alludes, this is a funk oriented track that █
█ features bassist Rudy Sarzo (known for his work █
█ with Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, and Whitesnake), █
█ and is reminiscent of Billy Cobhamæs 1973 █
█ groundbreaking jazz-rock fusion album Spectrum █
█ (which featured Tommy Bolin of Deep Purple and █
█ James Gang fame on guitar). The next track ôSame █
█ Sun Shinesö is a stylistic change of pace from its █
█ predecessor. ôSame Sun Shinesö showcases █
█ hypnotically soothing guitar sounds and a rhythm █
█ section consisting of John Pessoni (from The Urge) █
█ on drums and bassist Randy McStine (who has toured █
█ with and played live for both Vinnie Moore and Gus █
█ G.). The third track ôKung Fu Gripö shows Vinnie █
█ Mooreæs mastery of funk rock and jazz rock fusion. █
█ Also, the song shows that Moore hasnÆt lost one █
█ iota of his technical shredding ability. Suffice █
█ it to say, Vinnieæs Dean Guitar speaks for itself █
█ on ôKung Fu Grip.ö █
█ The very sentimental blues sounding ôMystifiedö is █
█ Soul ShifterÆs next instrumental masterpiece. █
█ ôMystifiedö is a heartfelt tribute that was █
█ inspired by the 2017 death of Soundgarden and █
█ Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell. Another tribute █
█ to one of Mooreæs main influences, Carlos Santana, █
█ is apparent on the next track, ôBrother Carlos.ö █
█ Santanaæs style, sound, and influence are █
█ strikingly apparent on Soul Shifteræs fifth track. █
█ ôGainesville Stationö is the next song on Soul █
█ Shifter. ôGainesville Stationö is a tribute to the █
█ late Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist, Steve Gaines, who █
█ died tragically in 1977 as a result of a plane █
█ crash, which also claimed the lives of Steveæs █
█ sister, Cassie Gaines, and (founding Lynyrd █
█ Skynyrd vocalist) Ronnie Van Zant. ôGainesville █
█ Stationö is likely to be regarded as the most █
█ phenomenal song on Soul Shifter. Vinnie Mooreæs █
█ guitar solos duel Jordan Rudessæ piano solos on █
█ ôGainesville Station,ö which gives the song a live █
█ southern rock concert vibe. ôGainesville Stationö █
█ would make a great addition to the repertoire of █
█ songs in Vinnie Mooreæs setlist when he decides to █
█ do another solo tour. █
█ ôSoul Riderö is a song inspired by Mooreæs █
█ admiration for the music of the Allman Brothers. █
█ Gregg Allman unfortunately passed away in 2017 █
█ while Moore was working on the track. Track eight, █
█ ôMirage,ö is an upbeat instrumental with Moore █
█ playing guitar, bass, and synthesizers and Richie █
█ Monica on drums. Monica, who played all drums on █
█ Aerial Visions, plays on all but two of Soul █
█ Shifteræs tracks. ôHeard You Were Goneö is a very █
█ touching and heartfelt track that evokes many █
█ memories and emotions. Moore reportedly wrote this █
█ song about (Dean Guitars CEO) Elliott Rubinson, █
█ who passed away in 2017. ôHeard You Were Goneö has █
█ tempo changes that range from a country music █
█ guitar sound to a spiritually uplifting █
█ contemporary gospel music sound. Moore, Monica, █
█ Michael Bean (who was Mooreæs bassist on Time █
█ Odyssey), and pianist John Cassidy (who plays on █
█ seven of Soul Shifteræs ten tracks) have composed █
█ a fitting tribute to Rubinson with ôHeard You Were █
█ Gone.ö █
█ Soul Shifter ends with ôAcross the Ages.ö The █
█ final song is a straight-forward, hard-rock, █
█ melodic, guitar oriented track. John Pessoni and █
█ Randy McStine both garner their second album █
█ credit with ôAcross the Ages.ö Soul Shifter █
█ clocks in at more than 45 minutes, which showcases █
█ Vinnie Mooreæs mastery of various styles, genres, █
█ and sounds of acoustic and electric guitars. █
█ Vinnie Moore is the guitarist, songwriter and █
█ producer of Soul Shifter, which is, quite █
█ possibly, the best instrumental album of 2019. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Funk Bone Jam 5:01 ░
░ 2. Same Sun Shines 4:44 ░
░ 3. Kung Fu Grip 4:48 ░
░ 4. Mystified 3:37 ░
░ 5. Brother Carlos 4:31 ░
░ 6. Gainesville Station 4:25 ░
░ 7. Soul Rider 3:59 ░
░ 8. Mirage 4:13 ░
░ 9. Heard You Were Gone 4:53 ░
░ 10. Across the Ages 5:09 ░
░ 45:20 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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