Is There Love In Space?

1. Gnnaahh - This is somewhat new from Joe.
2. Up in flames - Something is amiss with this song as in, there isn't much connectivity between the background rythm and the music, which Joe is trying to play. The music appears disoriented.
3. Hands in the air - Nice song except for the bridging between the two main riffs. Nice solo. Could be better if the bridge is better done.
4. Lifestyle - Singing is not one of Joe's strength and it still isnt. I wouldn't rate this song as bad, but I wouldn't say that it is good either.
5. Is there love in space? - Things start to pick up here. Joe did a good job on this song. Very nice melachonic sense in it. I like this one.
6. If I could fly - This is perhaps one of the best songs in the album. Nice rythm with cool guitar licks that gets you into the music.
7. The souls of distortion - Nice song and again, one of my favourites here. The Wah pedal was used in full effect.
8. Just look up - I would rate this song above average. It doesn't have that "stick in your mind" effect like most of Satch's ballads does.
9. I like the rain - Okay, this is perhaps the song that I dislike most in this album. I don't think it connects to what Satch is about.
10. Searching - A long song with tonnes of gutair solos. Despite recieving bad comments from most of the reviewers here, I find this song pretty good.
11. Bamboo - I think Joe did a good job on this. It might sound a little strange, but strange is what Joe is about. Very harmonious mellow tune.

It's not that his soloing isn't superb - it's just that the compositions aren't quite as good as on past albums.

There are, however, a few gems on this disc which make it worth buying, including "Gnaah," "Is there Love in Space?" "If I Could Fly" and "Just Look Up." I'm willing to cut Joe a little slack for some of the other "mediocre" tracks on this release - I think in some ways he is trying to simplifiy his approach. For example, there are several tunes on here which center on a basic, two- to three-chord progression ("Lifestyle," "I Like the Rain"). Back to the blues, where he so often likes to to be.

There are also some tunes here that , in my opinion, misfire: "Searching" is a disjointed epic with no central theme - and no gratifying conclusion. I can''t tell if this was his stab at doing prog rock or if he simply needed to fill 10 minutes on the disc. (By the way, I think it would be great to hear Joe do a prog rock/fusion effort backed by Terry Bozzio and Tony Levin, or other virtusosos). "Bamboo" is also sort herky jerky in the beginning - not sure what he is trying to do here - a very weird sounding closing track.

The recording itself is excellent.

The title of the disc and title track bother me - and seem to border on ridiculous. Is love not an emotion we carry with us wherever we go? Maybe he should have checked with some of the astronauts at NASA. They probably could have filled him in. Or maybe he didn't hear Bowie when he sang in "A Space Odyssey" - "tell my wife I love her very much ..."

Buy it if you are a hardcore Joe fan. Skip it if you aren't.

The CD is a nice blend between FIABD and SBM. There's even a couple of new vocal pieces ("Lifestyle" and "I Like The Rain"). Highlights are the rockin' "Gnaahh", spacey(!) "Is There Love in Space?", unsettling "Souls of Distortion" and the sublime "Bamboo". THE highlight though, clocking in at 10:07, is "Searching". This has to be heard to be believed. It's my favourite Satch piece since "Cool #9".

If you are a fan, get it. You wont be dissapointed.