Teeth of the Hydra is the intro, but it hits deep into the soul, Steve Vai let’s you know that it’s going to be a different album. If Mr. Vai had an experimental album, this would be it. The deep low notes make you feel as if you’re on a different plane of existence. You can hear the meditation and thoughtfulness in the notes as Mr. Vai speaks through his guitar. Parts like 3:30 on Zeaus in Chains really show that Steve Vai is a true master because he never stops learning and never stops changing what he feels he needs to change. His coordination is excellent but what really sets Mr. Vai apart from others is the time and care he takes into note placement. More than a true master and professional of Guitar Mr. Vai’s continuity as a student appears on Little Pretty and the whole album. If you’ve been following Mr. Vai for a while you can tell were he’s improved a technique or you can feel that he’s put countless hours into playing just to get a technique right. For me the best part about a Steve Vai album is his pathway to nuanced perfection and that if you listen closely he let’s you be a part of that journey, and in fact tells you that journey on his album. Steve Vai let’s you take yourself as far as your willing to let yourself sit beside him. It’s not just music, it’s a conversation with his learned experiences. I also greatly appreciate Candlepower as it’s a bit different but if you study who Mr. Vai hangs out with by reputation he draws in those experiences and again, pays tribute to them. I am really, really impressed with Candlepower, one of my friends once’s told me a name is who you are and a song name named Candlepower says a lot. What a fun musical experience with Mr. Vai. Apollo In Color is very happy, it speaks of finding success, faith and love and it’s played close to the heart. You can tell when a Guitarist plays close to the heart because it passes onto you, and that it what Mr. Vai does better than most. I don’t know much about guitar just about how it sounds and how it makes me feel, but Apollo In Color is very warm and bright and it’s like a starburst of emotion. Avalancha picks up the pace a bit and let’s you know he’s still a rocker and loves having fun but it’s careful and articulated. Greenish Blues is classic Steve Vai, relaxing, meditative and focused on universal string theory and the tree of life. Music doesn’t just vibrate through space and time, it helps create it. It’s a relaxing timer and tempo that let’s you sit back and contemplate past and future. The high notes on Greenish Blues flow into a nebula of creation that’s hard to extinguish, and Mr. Vai sustains that as long as possible. Creating a song is like a nursery creating notes and Steve Vai understands that the guitar helps create stars…It helps motivate and inspire and breath life into the universe. Greenish Blues is a culmination of years of learning for Mr. Vai, I applaud him on this song. I suspect it will inspire many, for many years to come. Knappsack is lively and uplifting but not as bright as say Apollo in Color it’s a little more careful. It’s like a child playing, and comes across as such. It resonates to me as an unteathered brilliance of a child running on a playground. It is truly beautiful. I like how a lot of Steve Vai’s song’s have a story to them from a beginning to a middle, and to an end that doesn’t feel like an end. If there’s one thing Steve Vai uses to incredible effect, it’s time. Time is a signal, and Mr. Vai know’s that time is the current of the universe. Sandman Cloud Mist finishes the elevation, but doesn’t let you down. It holds you tightly and brings you through the clouds. It plays with the raw electrical sounds of the circuitry and engineering that went into this album. It doesn’t just play with notes, it taps into neurons. Music is raw energy, it’s sound waves and we can hear them. The universe is simply amazing and it’s amazing that it let’s us on the ride and we have great teachers like Steve Vai that help us on that journey.

Also, the Hydra is freaking sweet!