Buckethead - Giant Robot

"Great, quirky guitar album."

All too often these instrumental guitar albums are simply vehicles for the musicians to flaunt their amazing technique, and nothing more. Melody is forgotten and we are treated to plodding instrumental virtuosity without rhyme or reason. These albums have their merit, but they sometimes fail to stand the test of time because they lack qualities that keep us coming back for more.

Buckethead is different. He's got reams of technique, sure, but he also writes great songs with infectious, fun melodies. Buckethead is a great musician, evidenced by challenging instrumental passages, and he also provides tons of variety in his playing, from the keen rockin' melodies in "Binge and Grab" to the fusion-injected "Robot Transmission" to the pretty, delicate and elegant ballad "I Love My Parents" (complete with string ensemble). Buckethead has a quirky sense of humor (in a good way) that is revealed to the listener through several weird skits interspersed among the album's nineteen tracks. It creates a wonderful, surreal musical journey that you aren't likely to grow tired of.

This is 73 minutes of great guitar music. Fans of Joe Satriani and Steve Vai will eat this up.