Andy Timmons
Ear-X-Tacy

Andy Timmons was born 42 years ago in Indiana, and at the age of 4, he began playing the electric guitar. He moved to Texas and, by the end of the '80s, became a part of Danger Danger, one of the many pop/metal bands that were all the rage at the time. He embarked on a solo career, and in 1994, he released the album "Ear-X-Tacy."

The album is entirely instrumental, and here, Andy showcases not only his enviable technique but also his phenomenal touch, at times like a seasoned bluesman, in other cases like a fiery rocker, progressing to full-on shred outbursts. As you may have understood, we are dealing with a very versatile guitarist who moves from one style to another with great ease, always maintaining exceptional levels (Timmons is also, among countless other collaborations, the guitarist for Olivia Newton-John). Take, for example, "Electric Gypsy" (a title that perhaps references Hendrix), a ballad in which Andy delivers a performance full of passion, accompanied by the amazing and very Texan sound of his amp; his inclination toward the blues emerges in "Remember Stevie", celebrated throughout its duration by phrasing that is first sweet and dreamy, then worthy of the most impetuous rides of the legendary Stevie. In short, it's a declaration of love for this genre. In this sense, I point out the album with the Pawn Kings, which, in addition to more classic blues songs, includes his cover of "Little Wing", which I do not exaggerate to define at the level of S. R. Vaughan's version.

Returning to "Ear-X-Tacy," it's essential to highlight its more rock aspect, as seen in the powerful "Turn Away" or the initial and exuberant "Carpe Diem", a song that, among other things, greatly recalls Satriani's style, while preserving Timmons' stylistic freshness. But now it's time for perhaps the brightest masterpiece of the album, the now-famous (among guitarists) and incomparable "Cry for You", a stunning example of Timmons' ability to weave touching and complex melodic tapestries; however, it's better to listen to it than to talk about it, so I invite you to do so as soon as possible. Among the other songs, all very enjoyable, it's worth mentioning episodes that are more like divertissements: the fun and lightning-fast "Farmer Sez", which can only evoke a hilarious chase scene between farmers and thieves in the open countryside and which contains an impressive performance by Andy, as well as the equally brief "This Time for Sure", where he performs on the slide with great success.

The closure is entrusted to the melancholic "There are no words", a song that, on a phenomenal clean guitar, builds a unique atmosphere thanks to Andy's skills, but also to a sound that has very few rivals.