▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███ ░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓ ███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░ ███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████ ███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███ ███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███ ███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███ ▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███ ███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███ ██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███ ░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███ ░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀ ██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██ ░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░ ▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓ ░ ██ ██ Artist: Vinnie Moore ██ ██ ▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Soul Shifter █■ ░░█ ■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2019 █ ▀▓█ ░ █ ▓ Rel. Date: 2020-01-11 ▓ █ ▒ ▒ Genre: Instrumental Rock ▒ ▒ █▄ ░ Label: Mind's Eye Music ░ ▄█ ░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█ ░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░ ▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓ ▓ █ █ ░ ▓ ▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■ ░█ █░ ▀ █ A young Vinnie Moore, age 12, saw a guitar in a █ █ JCPenney catalog that he wanted for Christmas. █ █ Within a year, Moore decided that playing a guitar █ █ was going to be his chosen life-long profession. █ █ After taking lessons from (Delaware instructors) █ █ Mary Biddle and Nick Bucci, a student of legendary █ █ jazz guitarist Pat Martino, Moore has consistently █ █ risen above his contemporaries with both his █ █ guitar virtuosity, as well as his commercial █ █ musical output. Mooreæs latest album, Soul █ █ Shifter, which gets released publicly on October █ █ 9, 2019, is yet another example of those █ █ aforementioned claims. Soul Shifter is Mooreæs █ █ ninth full length solo studio album. Mooreæs first █ █ album, 1986Æs awe-inspring Shrapnel Records █ █ classic, MindÆs Eye, continues to be revered as █ █ one of the greatest rock guitar albums of its █ █ generation. █ █ Soul Shifter is Mooreæs first solo album since █ █ 2015Æs Aerial Visions. Since recording The █ █ Salentino Cuts with UFO in 2017, (Mooreæs sixth █ █ studio album with the band), Vinnie Moore has █ █ toured and recorded at a breakneck pace by █ █ performing upwards of 175 concerts around the █ █ world as a solo artist and with UFO. Additionally, █ █ Moore has recorded guitar solos that are featured █ █ on former Ozzy Osbourne and current Firewind █ █ guitarist Gus G.æs 2018 single ôForce Majeure,ö █ █ and on the 2019 album Wired For Madness by Dream █ █ Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess who appeared on █ █ Mooreæs 1988 Billboard 200 charting album Time █ █ Odyssey. Soul Shifter makes its debut in the midst █ █ of concert dates with UFO on their Last Orders █ █ 50th Anniversary Tour. Moore has been a member of █ █ UFO since 2003. Mooreæs tenure as UFOæs lead █ █ guitarist is longer than any of his predecessors. █ █ Fans of rock, metal, blues, jazz, and contemporary █ █ guitar will be ecstatic upon hearing all of Soul █ █ Shifteræs ten tracks. █ █ Soul Shifter begins with ôFunk Bone Jam.ö As the █ █ title alludes, this is a funk oriented track that █ █ features bassist Rudy Sarzo (known for his work █ █ with Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, and Whitesnake), █ █ and is reminiscent of Billy Cobhamæs 1973 █ █ groundbreaking jazz-rock fusion album Spectrum █ █ (which featured Tommy Bolin of Deep Purple and █ █ James Gang fame on guitar). The next track ôSame █ █ Sun Shinesö is a stylistic change of pace from its █ █ predecessor. ôSame Sun Shinesö showcases █ █ hypnotically soothing guitar sounds and a rhythm █ █ section consisting of John Pessoni (from The Urge) █ █ on drums and bassist Randy McStine (who has toured █ █ with and played live for both Vinnie Moore and Gus █ █ G.). The third track ôKung Fu Gripö shows Vinnie █ █ Mooreæs mastery of funk rock and jazz rock fusion. █ █ Also, the song shows that Moore hasnÆt lost one █ █ iota of his technical shredding ability. Suffice █ █ it to say, Vinnieæs Dean Guitar speaks for itself █ █ on ôKung Fu Grip.ö █ █ The very sentimental blues sounding ôMystifiedö is █ █ Soul ShifterÆs next instrumental masterpiece. █ █ ôMystifiedö is a heartfelt tribute that was █ █ inspired by the 2017 death of Soundgarden and █ █ Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell. Another tribute █ █ to one of Mooreæs main influences, Carlos Santana, █ █ is apparent on the next track, ôBrother Carlos.ö █ █ Santanaæs style, sound, and influence are █ █ strikingly apparent on Soul Shifteræs fifth track. █ █ ôGainesville Stationö is the next song on Soul █ █ Shifter. ôGainesville Stationö is a tribute to the █ █ late Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist, Steve Gaines, who █ █ died tragically in 1977 as a result of a plane █ █ crash, which also claimed the lives of Steveæs █ █ sister, Cassie Gaines, and (founding Lynyrd █ █ Skynyrd vocalist) Ronnie Van Zant. ôGainesville █ █ Stationö is likely to be regarded as the most █ █ phenomenal song on Soul Shifter. Vinnie Mooreæs █ █ guitar solos duel Jordan Rudessæ piano solos on █ █ ôGainesville Station,ö which gives the song a live █ █ southern rock concert vibe. ôGainesville Stationö █ █ would make a great addition to the repertoire of █ █ songs in Vinnie Mooreæs setlist when he decides to █ █ do another solo tour. █ █ ôSoul Riderö is a song inspired by Mooreæs █ █ admiration for the music of the Allman Brothers. █ █ Gregg Allman unfortunately passed away in 2017 █ █ while Moore was working on the track. Track eight, █ █ ôMirage,ö is an upbeat instrumental with Moore █ █ playing guitar, bass, and synthesizers and Richie █ █ Monica on drums. Monica, who played all drums on █ █ Aerial Visions, plays on all but two of Soul █ █ Shifteræs tracks. ôHeard You Were Goneö is a very █ █ touching and heartfelt track that evokes many █ █ memories and emotions. Moore reportedly wrote this █ █ song about (Dean Guitars CEO) Elliott Rubinson, █ █ who passed away in 2017. ôHeard You Were Goneö has █ █ tempo changes that range from a country music █ █ guitar sound to a spiritually uplifting █ █ contemporary gospel music sound. Moore, Monica, █ █ Michael Bean (who was Mooreæs bassist on Time █ █ Odyssey), and pianist John Cassidy (who plays on █ █ seven of Soul Shifteræs ten tracks) have composed █ █ a fitting tribute to Rubinson with ôHeard You Were █ █ Gone.ö █ █ Soul Shifter ends with ôAcross the Ages.ö The █ █ final song is a straight-forward, hard-rock, █ █ melodic, guitar oriented track. John Pessoni and █ █ Randy McStine both garner their second album █ █ credit with ôAcross the Ages.ö Soul Shifter █ █ clocks in at more than 45 minutes, which showcases █ █ Vinnie Mooreæs mastery of various styles, genres, █ █ and sounds of acoustic and electric guitars. █ █ Vinnie Moore is the guitarist, songwriter and █ █ producer of Soul Shifter, which is, quite █ █ possibly, the best instrumental album of 2019. █ ▓ ▓ ▒ ▒ ░ 1. Funk Bone Jam 5:01 ░ ░ 2. Same Sun Shines 4:44 ░ ░ 3. Kung Fu Grip 4:48 ░ ░ 4. Mystified 3:37 ░ ░ 5. Brother Carlos 4:31 ░ ░ 6. Gainesville Station 4:25 ░ ░ 7. Soul Rider 3:59 ░ ░ 8. Mirage 4:13 ░ ░ 9. Heard You Were Gone 4:53 ░ ░ 10. Across the Ages 5:09 ░ ░ 45:20 ░ ░ ▒ ▒ ▓ █ ░ ▓ ░ ■ █▄ ░ ██ ▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░ ▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓ ▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■ ░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░ ▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░ █▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓ █▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█ ▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒ ░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░ ▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓ █▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓ ░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒ █░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█ ███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░ ▓██ ░ ██▓ ██░ ░██ █▒ ░ ░█ ▀█ █▀ ▓ ░ ░