Search - Steve Vai :: Alive in an Ultra World

Vai the funmaker, bandleader, showmaster and cosmopolitan

Nicky Brown | Copenhagen, Denmark | 01/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Whispering A Prayer is a wonderful piece.

Blood & Glory and Babushka are fun and great spins on their genres (English pomp and Romanian folk).

With Alive in an Ultra World, Steve Vai has offered us fine tributes to various genres that have enriched his music.

When that's said, we have to consider that this is a live album (or more correctly, an anthology of live recordings, tailored a bit in the studio), and much of the music arose on the spur-of-the-moment. It is not as thoroughbred as his recent studio albums, and therefore doesn't have quite the exhilarating precision and punch that they have.

But we get to know other sides of Steve Vai: Vai the funmaker (a true pupil of Frank Zappa), Vai the bandleader, who brings out the best in his bandmates, Vai the showmaster, who can bring his audience into a rave, and Vai the cosmopolitan, with his deepfelt respect for all cultures and religions.

So Ultra World certainly deserves five stars.

I'm just wondering: Why isn't this guy as acclaimed as, say, Bach? I don't think that Steve himself cares much about it, but there are a lot of people missing out on some great music. I guess, we just have to accept that there are very few people who take music seriously. Most people just want some tinkling in the background - to help them forget that they're alive and mortal (in an ultra world).

I would like to add that I found the Amazon review by Jerry McCulley (this one and others) very fine. Here's a rock reviewer who knows his stuff."