PAUL GILBERT - I CAN DESTROY (review)

------------------------------------Front page introduction:

-----------------------"Paul Gilbert matches shred virtuosity with catchy, fun, and memorable earworms"
REVIEW:
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Sound - 8/10
-----------Known for being one of the most diverse and celebrated shredders of our era, Pau
l Gilbert returns with his new release (well, new for anyone outside of Japan, w
ho have been treated to this album for about six months now), I Can Destroy. Whi
le the title of "shredder" is enough to turn off a certain number of people, it'
s important to note that this album is not like a Steve Vai or Joe Satriani affa
ir. There is not one completely instrumental track on the album. The solos are p
eppered throughout the album without overtaking the vocal sections, and many of
his solos are quite restrained, something which may make people who were more fa
miliar with Gilbert's work in bands such as Racer X and Mr. Big take notice.
Opening with the humourous and cantankerous "Everybody Use Your Goddamn Turn Sig
nal", this album kicks right into things with a totally memorable and funky riff
, and amazing soaring vocal harmonies. Paul trades solos with fellow axe-slinger
s Freddie Nelson and Tony Spinner. The song is short, snappy, and concise. "I Ca
n Destroy" turns things up a notch with a more Racer X-style guitar lead, and a
proclamation that his guitar is "built to play". The production is crisp and cle
ar on the track, with a lot of breathing room between the instruments. The vocal
hook in the chorus is amazing, and the guitar leads in the middle are nothing s
hort of perfect. "Knocking On A Locked Door" has a great power-pop stomp to it,
as well as a great solo. It's the kind of track that would not sound out of plac
e on late-70s rock radio. "One Woman Too Many" continues the trend, but also fea
tures some of Paul's trademark "drill guitar" techniques (including revving the
motor near the pickups and using a custom drill bit with guitar picks attached f
or some extreme tremolo picking). While a lot of shred guitarists would find som
e way to make a technique like this seem overused and tired very quickly, Paul u
ses it rather sparingly, and it fits the track perfectly. "Woman Stop" is a slid
e-infused bluesy rock tune with huge vocal harmonies and a stomping rhythm. "Gon
na Make You Love Me", a track penned by Freddie Nelson, has a fun classic rock-a
nd-roll vibe to it, and another great ripping solo. "I Am Not The One (Who Wants
To Be With You)" is a fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek hard rocker. "Blues Just Savi
ng My Life" is about as close to a traditional bluesy rock tune as I've heard in
a long time (and it seems like everything's trying to kill Gilbert... except fo
r the blues). His guitar tone is excellent throughout this tune, as well as the
rest of the album. "Make It (If We Try)" is another great pop-rocker with an exc
ellent solo. Paul pulls out the acoustic for "Love We Had", the album's sincere
love ballad. The track is buoyed by some very sweet harmony vocals and acoustic
guitar harmony flourishes. "I Will Be Remembered" and "Adventure And Trouble" bo
th sound very much like throwbacks to the classic AOR of the 70s, and the latter
features Paul's wife Emi on keyboards. "My Sugar" closes the album on a "hard p
op" note, sounding like a mix of classic 60s rock-and-roll with its huge vocal h
armonies and whimsical chord stabs, and the very 70s AOR throwback sounds with i
ts huge guitar tones during the choruses.

Paul's playing and tone throughout the album are very good, definitely nowhere n
ear as saturated or overly ambitious as some of his contemporaries in the shred
guitar scene, but absolutely fleet-fingered. But this album has far more to it t
han just some shred guitar playing, and the songs themselves are fun and catchy,
and definitely a bit of a far cry from some of the more overly serious music be
ing released in this day and age. While the two are very far apart in many ways,
I'd almost compare this record to one of Frank Zappa's many 1970s releases, in
terms of there being lots of excellent musicianship on display, very whimsical a
nd fun musical themes, rather silly lyrics, and a very blues-driven backbone. Th
e production on the album is surprisingly dynamic and raw for an album made in 2
015, with every instrument sounding very organic, and a mix that almost suggests
some live-off-the-floor tracking. It's a very refreshing listen compared to muc
h of today's rock and metal.
Musically speaking, I was a little surprised not to find any instrumental tunes,
and I almost kind of wish there had been one or two purely instrumental fret-bu
rners to sink my teeth into, though the album's title track does whet my appetit
e for a more Racer X-style "metal" tune.
Lyrics - 7/10
------------Paul Gilbert may well be credited one day with creating the genre of "cantankero
us rock", if songs like "Everybody Use Your Goddamn Turn Signal" are anything to
go by. This rallying cry for people who are dismayed at the driving habits of o
thers ("If you're gonna go so slow, tell me which way you go") is almost a publi
c service announcement served up as a lyric, and while it's about as far from de
ep as you can get, it's absolutely silly and fun. But there are tracks with a bi
t more depth to them, like the title track, which was inspired by Paul's infant
son learning about objects in his world by destroying them, and comparing it wit
h the process by which scientists are learning about the nature of the universe
by shooting photons at each other at near-light-speed and recording the bits tha
t fly off in the collisions. Don't worry, the song's not going to fill your head
with science mumbo-jumbo, and it has somewhat cringe-worthy lines like "This gu
itar was built to play/it was not born just yesterday", but the inspiration behi
nd it is actually pretty incredible. "I Am Not The One (Who Wants To Be With You
)" seems to be a bit of a stab at his former Mr. Big bandmates, and as mentioned
above, everyone tries to kill Paul in "Blues Just Saving My Life". There are ev
en some rather poignant tracks like "Love We Had", a rather sincere love song. B
ut for the most part, these are pretty humourous and silly lyrics, and sometimes
the joke seems a little forced or it just doesn't hit the mark, but Paul more t
han makes up for it with his musicianship, and it's clear that this album's lyri
cs are not meant to be taken entirely seriously. Vocally, Paul (along with co-gu
itarists and co-vocalists Freddie and Tony) pretty much hit the mark as far as c
lassic blues-rock goes, and perform some especially nice vocal harmonies through
out each track.
Overall Impression - 8/10
------------------------This quirky collection of bluesy rockers isn't going to go down as Paul's most i
mportant release, since there's not much he can release that will out-do "Techni
cal Difficulties" or "Lean Into It". But there's no denying that "I Can Destroy"
is going to be an enjoyable listen for anyone into classic rock or blues, or ju
st anyone who wants to hear some kind of silly, funky songs with incredible guit
ar playing. It's the kind of album that makes you come for the solos, but stay f
or the wacky and fun songs. And even though the album doesn't quite hit the mark
lyrically sometimes, and it lacks some of the bit instrumental shred moments we

're used to from Gilbert, it's still one of the most fun rock releases of 2016 s
o far. And it's also a rather diverse record, from Crosby Stills And Nash-style
folk ("Love We Had") to blues ("Blues Just Saving My Life") to 70s power-pop ("K
nocking On A Locked Door") to almost quasi-power metal ("I Can Destroy"). It doe
s feel a little disjointed at times, but the individual tracks are pretty great.
The big standouts for me are the first three songs, "Everybody Use Your Goddamn
Turn Signal", "I Can Destroy" and "Knocking On A Locked Door", which I think in
dividually represent the album's diversity and musicianship pretty well. Interes
tingly, while the album has been out since December in Japan, it hasn't been rel
eased worldwide until May 27th of this year, meaning that it's perfectly timed f
or the beginning of summer, and this album does have a particularly summery feel
to it, meaning it would probably be a great album to blast while you're barbecu
ing or camping out.
All in all, this release is great for a bit of light-hearted fun, and a bit of a
wacky look at the mind of one of the most beloved guitar players of our time. D
efinitely give this album a spin if you're looking for some good, catchy hard ro
ck.