Paul Gilbert
Space Ship One

How strange it is to listen to this "Space Ship One", the latest solo album by the whimsical and eccentric Paul Gilbert. Anyone would expect, from a virtuoso guitarist like him, an instrumental album full of feel but also brimming with fiery virtuosity.

And yet, no: Gilbert has accustomed us to truly strange and unconventional solo albums. Everything is centered around his persona as a singer, as a rocker, as he may have always wanted to be understood. Leaving Mr. Big behind, he could focus on his own talents, and let's be honest, the result is good. But nothing more.
What has always characterized Gilbert is his a bit crazy and playful attitude and his overwhelming desire to have fun. And to entertain. And this is very noticeable in "Space Ship One". How to define it? A party album. One of those American parties that so often fill up 'American Pie'-style films. We are faced with an album of Rock&Roll full of solo outbursts and ultra-fast passages. but Paul’s voice takes center stage: not a great voice, not captivating but hugely entertaining.

The album opens with the title track, which is the most "virtuous" of the bunch, beautiful, and the least suitable for "partying"!!!. The playful and festive atmosphere arrives with the following songs: "Every Hot girl is a rock star", "On the way to hell", "SVT". Cute little songs, no doubt about it, but they remain little tunes that really don't stick around in your memory for long. Let’s say it maintains a bit of the Mr. Big atmosphere, even if Gilbert alone cannot recreate the magic. "jackhammer" is interesting though: exclusively instrumental, with furious guitar solos and a spectacular drum performance.
"Terrible man" is truly avoidable. It goes without saying how mundane a song like this is, made just to entertain. "Interaction" presents more aggression, but the intent does not change. "G9" is the antithesis of "jackhammer". An acoustic instrumental, sweet, perhaps suitable for a slow dance at a party...!
We return to a fairly mundane atmosphere with "Mr. Spock" while "Boku no atama" is sweet and quite original. And the banality resumes with "Good man", the antithesis of "Terrible man". Without praise or blame, the following song "wash my car", while quite enjoyable, although very long (over 6 minutes), is the last "It's all too much".

What can I say? Paul Gilbert has accustomed us to slightly cheerful albums. This one certainly is, and very much so. Gilbert wants to entertain us, nobody is dissatisfied, but from a talent like his, it is reasonable to expect more than just a college movie soundtrack. by all means, the album is enjoyable, but it cannot be rated above average precisely due to its superficial and unfocused attitude.

Good album, but deep down there's a lot of substance used poorly.