Track Listing:
- Heat
- Double Trouble
- Guitar Without a Cause
- Flash Point
- Inner Strength
You’ve probably seen Roo mentioned already on Shredaholic, as he was the driving force bringing together all the artists on the fantastic Melodic Soloists CD. One of the tracks on that compilation, ‘Heat’, was taken from ‘Guitar Without a Cause’, which I have the pleasure of listening to and sharing my thoughts!
The first thing that stands out is how slick and professional the production style is; that’s something that I’ve now come to expect from Roo from listening to the other projects he’s worked on. It’s particularly important to be able to hear clearly when someone is playing as fast as this!
Songwriting in this album is quirky, upbeat and smooth. There’s a lot of changes in tempo and lead guitar playing style that keep you captivated. It’s hard to describe Roo’s style as its quite unique, but there’s a lot of funk and jazz elements in there which are nice to see mixed in with fast shredding legato lead.
Heat is definitely a standout track for the album, the lead guitar is catchy and will no doubt stick in your mind. Not only is the fluid playing impressive,but every note suits the track perfectly. The final track, Inner Strength, is a nice departure to heavier territory with crunchy Megadeth-like rhythm guitars and a bit more breathing space for the lead guitar.
I’d say those two tracks are my favourites, but the whole album is solid. 5 tracks, 22 minutes of excellent virtuoso guitar playing and a nice purchase for shred fans.
