WHO ELSE !

WHO ELSE! saw the return of JEFF BECK releasing a full album's worth of new material for the first time in a decade following 1989's "Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop but that doesn't mean he didn't just hang around his huge collection of hot rod sports cars, au contraire. BECK took on a series of collaborations starting with Jon Bon Jovi by playing the main solo of the song "Blaze of Glory" in 1990 and then moved on Hans Zimmer's score for the film "Days Of Thunder." Next in line was a cameo appearance as lead guitarist on Roger Waters' 1992 concept album "Amused To Death" as well as a bizarre soundtrack with Jed Lieber for the Australian TV series "Frankie's House." Add some cameo appearances with Kate Bush and Beverley Craven as well as a tribute album to Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps and then you'll start to wonder how BECK had time to come up with any original material!

Never one to rest in his past glories, by the time the 20th century was closing and a new millennium was at hand JEFF BECK had long ago forsaken his title as jazz-fusion guitar god and taken on a new role of the late 20th century as cross-pollinating blues specialist as BECK was taking the blues rock paradigm into some bizarre new territory when many artists in the rock and metal world had abandoned the blues aspects of their origins decades prior. WHO ELSE! is yet another bizarre hybridization of BECK's signature blues rock guitar style commingling with other seemingly incompatible musical genres. In this case electronic music, techno, breakbeat and industrial.

By the close of the decade / century / millennium BECK had indeed jumped into the bizarre world of guitar-based electronica and WHO ELSE! emerged in March 1999. Unlike the mere trio of "Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop," this one featured a total of 11 extra musicians including long time associate Tony Hymas on keys and guitarist Jennifer Batten who at the time was virtually unknown went on to play live with Michael Jackson on several world tours. WHO ELSE! was also one of BECK's longer albums as he (or the record company) preferred to keep the playing time around 40 minutes. This one is just shy of 54. Once again this is an all instrumental album and features 11 tracks. The opening "What Mama Said" starts things off with a bang and is probably the best track on board with a thundering techno production backing with industrial guitar riffs churning about. Clearly BECK was ready for the brave new world lurking behind the odometer of time.

The second track "Psycho Sam" is equally compelling as it feels like BECK has transcended into a cyber-guitarist with a metallic edge that sounds more Nine Inch Nails than anything BECK had cranked out in the past. With heavy techno grooves and a futuristic feel BECK adapts his bluesy guitar licks to alien territory but pulls it off without flinching. The track also offers some tasty Middle Eastern musical flavors and some excellent guitar soloing. Beginning with "Brush With The Blues" which is a live recording, the album takes on slower more traditional blues playing albeit with an electronica fueled ambient backdrop. The track "THX138" named after the George Lucas film sounds like something out of The Matrix movie with a heavy Prodigy type breakbeat sound with a subdued guitar playing that throws in random licks.

Overall this is an interesting album as BECK flawlessly adapts his blues rock guitar playing to a seemingly foreign musical style. Somehow the techno, electronica and blues play together like content children on a baseball field. The only problem is that the album is too long and a few tracks that really just retread already established territory outstay their welcome. By the time i you get to "Even Odds" for example it just seems like filler. There are also a few tracks like "Declan" that seem out of place. This one for example eschews the entire electronica shtick and dives into orchestrated Celtic folk music. Whaaaaat? This is an interesting album that shouldn't be missed but i wish the entire album followed what was laid down by the first half. Oh well another JEFF BECK curve ball nobody saw coming with this one!

3.5 rounded down