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[lollum_dropcap]S[/lollum_dropcap]o here we are in late December and the holidays have just passed in the states. Maybe you got a couple iTunes or Amazon gift cards as presents and you’re on the look out for some tunes.

Here’s a list of 5 Awesome Instrumental Guitar CDs for you to check out. I’m no album reviewer but I’m gonna try my best to explain why I like them.

Over the years I’ve probably owned over a hundred guitar CDs and when I was younger all that mattered was that they included super fast shredding. As I’ve grown older I enjoy a bit more substance but these CDs still make the cut.

Don’t get me wrong they still have their moments of shred but all in all they are a chill & catchy collection. Something you can put on at a party without alienating half the people in the room.

What are your favorite instrumental guitar CDs, I’d love to know. Leave your favs in the comments below.

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1. Alivelectric | The Slip

I had never heard of this CD until it turned up as #1 on a list of best jam band albums in a guitar magazine. The reviewer said one of the reasons he liked it was something like “the band goes off on daring improvisational adventures but never strays to far from the melody”. It’s true and whole listening experience is better for it. Some “jam” bands go off into never-never land which always reminds me of the “Jazz Odyssey” from Spinal Tap. This trio is made up of two brothers, Brad Barr (guitar) and Andrew Barr (drums) and bassist Marc Friedman. Most of their music includes vocals but I’m really glad that they decided to delve into the world of the instrumental record. Unfortunately this is a hard CD to find.

My Favorite Track: Driving Backwards With You

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2. Plaid | Blues Saraceno

Here is another hard CD to find but well worth the hunt. Blues Saraceno blends neoclassical shred with traditional blues licks like non other. His tone is just awesome and his songwriting is always spot on. Dimebag Darrell had the cover of this CD tattooed on his leg he loved it so much. This is the second of three CDs Blues put out and it’s his best in my opinion thought the other two were no slouches. Blues apparently recorded this using a Tascam 4 track in his parents garage and then had the drums re-tracked The resulting production value is astounding none the less. As far as the playing Blues never wastes a note, each lick blends into the next resulting in familiar sounding songs that are always surprising. This is a short CD clocking in at just over the half hour mark.

My Favorite Track: The Scratch

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3. Joe Satriani | Joe Satriani

Some may say that Surfing With the Alien is Joe’s best CD and I do agree that it was a game changer but this is the one I keep coming back to. From the first few bars of “Cool #9” you already know that your in for a chill foot tapping time. It seem to me that Joe, like a true artist, stripped away everything that didn’t belong and was left with twelve perfect tunes. Even the production is raw and in your face leaving the sparse arrangements to stand on their own, which I believe they do.

My Favorite Track: Sittin’ Round

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4. Passion & Warfare | Steve Vai

 

This CDs was “IT” for me when it first came out. I had it on audio cassette. This is Vai at his best, he covers so many guitar landscapes during the CD it’s hard to keep up. From heavy funk riffing, to melodic clean arrangements, and other worldly noise-scapes each one evokes mental images that fall somewhere between Vai’s imagination and the listener’s. Granted, this one may earn you some weird looks if you put it on at a party, but it is definitely a must listen for those serious about playing guitar. The production is epic and each song’s arrangement is finely crafted by a man who is more than passionate about the guitar and what it means to be a musician on your own terms.

My Favorite Track: The Animal

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5. A GO GO | John Scofield

Around the time that I started at Berklee A GO GO came out. It was exactly what I was looking for. Funky virtuosity at it’s finest. What else would you expect when two super powers come together. Medeski, Martin and Wood are some of the funkiest mothers around, each an exceptional soloist and accompanist. Pair them up with uber-jazz guitar guru John Scofield and things get real. Any song on this CDs could be the soundtrack to my life and I would be happy. Like good funk each instrument’s part meshes with the others like a giant puzzle. What really gets me though is the musicians excellent sense of rhythm. Each note hangs from Billy Martin’s drum groove with exact precision, a millisecond ahead or behind the beat to suit the feel.

My Favorite Track: Jeep On 35

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