EROTIC CAKES

When jazz rock and heavy metal get together

When I first saw this album, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I have never eve seen the name Guthrie Govan in my life and the album's name, Erotic Cakes, only signed to the worst expectations and even more confusing was seeing Erotic Cakes' cover on the jazz tray of the store. To my surprise, whne I first checked it, the album was not only good, but was spectacular!

Govan's music is something of an oddball. It sure is jazz rock, but not the normal kind that you would expect. Starting from the jazz part of the music, it is so fresh, vivid and emotional that you can easily relate to it. It feels like flowting in a calm, placid spot or place, wile witnessing how everything around that place is moving and changing. The rock (or metal) part of the music give it a completely different level. It gives the music more power and colour than your average jazz rock band.

Just to give an idea of how this album sound, imagine a mix of Derek Sherinian's Planet X and Inertia albums and his Planet X band, plus Fromuz's Overlook, Exivious' debut and Cynic's Traced in Air.

Grade and Final Thoughts

Maybe I have this album in such a high regard because I was caught completely off guard when I had my first listen of it, but this Guthrie Govan's solo effort is worth the masterpiece rating by its own merits. When you have the opportunity, get this album and you won't be disappointed.

'Erotic Cakes' - Guthrie Govan (9/10)

Even half a decade after this has been released, there has still been some buzz over this virtuoso guitarist's work amongst friends and acquaintances. Being a guitarist myself, I can always appreciate the talent and skill- not to mention the time and effort- that it takes to become a truly great guitarist, but with all too many instrumental rock guitarists, I find myself frankly bored by much of their one-sided, overindulgent music. Enter Guthrie Govan, an English fusion guitarist who- much like Tosin Abasi of Animals As Leaders- seems to be revitalizing the scene of instrumental rock guitar. A rare masterpiece of this sort of music, Guthrie Govan's incredible skill at playing and tasteful tact of songwriting makes his debut, 'Erotic Cakes' essential listening for its style.

As the label of 'instrumental rock guitar' would imply, the center of this music is Govan's axe work, which shows him dabbling in a number of styles, including hard rock, blues, but most notably; hard-edged jazz. Throughout all of these, Guthrie Govan manages to harness his tone and give a clear, fitting sound to all of these different avenues, all the while drawing in seductive melodies and themes into his lead playing. Guthrie could be the phenomenal guitarist that he is, and still end up making a boring album if it weren't for his clever use of melodies and atmosphere in the songwriting. While there are plenty of less structured 'solo' sections where he effortlessly impresses with his beautifully flowing improvisations, each song gives the definite feeling that it is going somewhere, and that the listener isn't merely sitting by idly while Guthrie gives his virtuoso musician's equivalent of a child calling out and saying "hey, look what I can do!" 'Erotic Cakes' shows a satisfying balance of necessary showboating and quality composition. On a less positive note, these songs don't necessarily compliment each other on an albumwide scale, but each song is consistent, despite the fact that he is drawing from a number of different styles.

Making 'Erotic Cakes' an even better listen is that this is not merely a 'guitar' album; believe it or not, there are actually other musicians at work here as well, and talented ones at that. Bassist Seth Govan (Guthrie's brother, I will assume) makes some great slap bass fills here that fill out the sound beautifully, ensuring that there is always something else out there for a listener to focus on, if they want a change from the guitars. The drummer here is best suited for jazz, but manages to fluctuate based on whatever style Guthrie is leading the band into. A really excellent performance here from each member of the band.

I would really love to see Guthrie Govan churn out a second album, because without a doubt, 'Erotic Cakes' is one of the best- if not the best- instrumental rock guitar album I have ever heard. I went into it not knowing what to expect, and came out of it dazzled. A masterpiece album from a style I do not normally enjoy much. 'Erotic Cakes' has me turned on.

Guthrie Govan's exceptional jazz fusion solo album hits a higher batting average than many fusion guitar heroes' outputs. The secret seems to be that Govan has maintained the highest standard of quality control when it comes to what compilations deserve to win a place on here, with some of these compositions dating back a decade. With a solid band behind him, good compositions, and a keen sense of where the line lies between quality, impressive technical fusion and empty guitar noodling, and a thoroughly modern sound which shows no inclination to wallow in nostalgia, Govan has crafted a truly impressive fusion album here - a triumph of quality over quantity.

According to the bio here Guthrie won a guitar competition put on by Guitarist magazine back in 1993 which opened some doors for him as he would go on to teach guitar in schools as well as doing session work and becoming part of several bands. I became aware of this British guitarist through Steven Wilson as he played on his "The Raven That Refused To Sing(And Other Stories)". The guy can play, no doubts about that. This is an all instrumental album with the focus on the guitar and there's a strong Jazz flavour. We get a trio of guitar, bass and drums.

"Waves" opens with the faint sounds of waves and guitar before it kicks in much louder with drums, guitar and bass. Guthrie starts to light it up around a minute in then it settles back to the previous soundscape as this contrast continues. I really like how this sounds before 3 1/2 minutes. "Erotic Cakes" is heavier followed by some complex guitar soloing. Check it out 2 minutes in. "Wonderful Slippery Thing" is a jazzy, lighter number that's quite catchy. Some nice bass here as well. "Ner Ner" opens with strummed guitar but then he starts to solo as the bass and drums help out. He's ripping it up before 2 1/2 minutes. There's a good acoustic section around 3 minutes then it turns heavy. Some stop and start action before a relaxed sound takes over. Back to the main theme before 5 1/2 minutes. I like the drumming 6 minutes in then a guitar solo follows. "Fives" can be heard on the site here. I like the guitar expressions here and I like the drum work. It then kicks into gear and Guthrie is lighting it up after 2 minutes.

"Uncle Skunk" is an upbeat and pleasant ride. Nice bass especially 2 minutes in where he becomes the focus. A feel good tune. "Sevens" features a heavier sounding guitar which I like. It changes though with some intricate soloing then back to the heaviness as contrasts continue. The mellow parts are uplifting. "Eric" starts out reminding me of PT strangely enough. It changes though as this relaxing guitar joins in and I like the bass around 1 1/2 minutes. Some shrill guitar bits come and go. "Slidey Boy" has a rockish start but before 2 minutes it becomes much more relaxed including some welcomed atmosphere. Back to that heavier sound after 3 minutes. "Rhode Island Shred" sounds like a Blue Grass tune or maybe a DIXIE DREGS track. Very fast paced. "Hangover" is possibly my favourite track on here. I like the way the guitar soars and also the outburts of speed from Guthrie. I also like the way it winds down to end it.

This just hasn't grabbed me much at all. Sure there are many enjoyable moments but overall it's just not bringing much satisfaction. Maybe if it was more of a band thing instead of a guitar album, who knows? Good album though.

After over 15 years of study and practice, guitarist extraordinaire Guthrie Govan comes out of the closet as a blues- rock-educated and -grounded composer!

1. "Waves" (5:09) opening with a fully-fleshed out motif in which Guthrie introduces the main melodies over a fairly straightforward rock rhythm track but then begins to dance around the fretboard in wildly unpredictable ways from 0:50 to 1:15 when he settles back in among the band to reinforce the opening melody. Another foray into solo expression begins at 1:50 but this time evolves rather protractedly and more within the domains of previously- heard/attempted rock guitar solos (using his own unusual scales to perform his runs). A doubled-up flourish at the three-minute mark signals a bridge to a more blues-rock/classic rock solo. This man has so many faces! And such amazing dexterity! Impressive but also enjoyable. And I love the unusual ending: it feels like an homage to Roy Buchanan. (9.125/10)

2. "Erotic Cakes" (3:51) stoccato chugging music displaying some very odd time signatures and polyrhythms between the three musicians. Guthrie never really seems to be traveling in the same universe and Seth and Pete: it's more like he's rocketing around the rhythmists as if looking for an entrance, looking for a way to join into the groove they're in. His maneouvering makes me think of a heat-seeking predatory bird like a crow (or trio of crows) with hummingbird- like quickness. Interesting and rather enjoyable. (9/10)

3. "Wonderful Slippery Thing" (3:21) another solid rock/blues-rock motif over which Guthrie takes Wes Montgomery and Django Reinhardt to The School of Rock. Uber-impressive and almost humorously-creative but not my favorite, the song had existed since the early 1990s when Guthrie used it to compete in a guitar-playing competition for Guitar magazine in 1993--which he won. (9/10)

4. "Ner Ner" (8:05) another fairly straightforward (and familiar) (Southern) rock motif that presents engaging/alluring melodies over which Guthrie impresses with more flash and fireworks on both electric and acoustic guitars (one of which might very well be the guest guitar soloist Richie Kotzen). This song reminds me a lot of the solo work of STEVE VAI. Nice accessible music. (13.5/15)

5. "Fives" (4:36) sounding very much like a cross between the work of ALLAN HOLDSWORTH, STEVE VAI, and KING CRIMSON, this song starts out heavy-technical but then starts to cruise and fly in the third minute as Steve flits and spits over the top. At 4:00 the music cuts down to bare bones for the quiet support of a nice bass guitar solo from brother Seth Govan. (8.875/10)

6. "Uncle Skunk" (5:29) an interesting song that seems to draw inspiration from a combination of the old blues masters (like Buddy Guy and Roy Buchanan) and modern sound-technicians like Adrian Belew and Robert Fripp. I like the creative energy, engaging (almost "Yacht Rock") melodies, and laid back feel of this one. A top three song for me. (9.3333/10)

7. "Sevens" (5:57) this one opens sounding very much like the palette, construct, and melodies of the SCORPIONS' "Rock You Like a Hurricane," but then things change. A ChapmanStick-like bass chord playing style provides much of the foundation beneath Guthrie's amazing SATRIANI-VAI-like shredding runs. The intermittent softer flying arpeggio sections feel a lot like some of Devin Townsend's more amazing beauty passages whereas the ramped up fourth minute feels more like the work of 1980s heavy metal bands like I love the return to the more melodic and then more delicate stuff for the song's final 90 seconds. (9.125/10)

8. "Eric" (5:06) opening with a slow, spacious, more delicate and melody-rich motif over which Guthrie solos with a slide-like sound not unlike something from Roy Buchanan or even a more blues-oriented Adrian Belew. Nice. Interesting weave of micro-fast arpeggi in the fifth minute. Overall, there is a very comforting, connectable feel to this song that helps render it among my three favorites on the album. (9.125/10)

9. "Slidey Boy" (4:35) a brooding jazz flavor opens this song as Seth solos over Pete's mostly-cymbals and snare drumming for the first minute. His impressive bass play continues as Guthrie joins in with some low end piccolo-bass- like note play that intertwines with his brother's bass play but then separates and begins occupying the middle and upper ranges in a very AL DI MEOLA-like sound and style. As a matter of fact, the music and performances on this song could easily fit on Al's 2002 release, Flesh on Flesh: sounds just like Al and Anthony Jackson working together. My other top three song. (9.375/10)

10. "Rhode Island Shred" (2:18) just like Guthrie's project The Aristocrats, he must feel a need to represent as many separate styles as possible: here the Country-Western Bluegrass scene--with the help of fellow guitar wiz Bumblefoot. Impressive but neither the prog rock or Jazz-Rock Fusion that I'm seeking. (4.5/5)

11. "Hangover" (6:32) a slow, plodding blues-rock bass over which a wide variety of STEVE VAI and JOHN PETRUCCI-like guitar solos flourish--and within which brother Seth shines once again in his Anthony Jackson-like way. Solid if not my favorite. (9/10)

Total Time: 53:39

My only beef with the music on this album is the non-proggyness of a lot of it; the music here belongs more in the realm of Rock Power Trio stuff--most of it quite anchored in blues-rock traditions (very much like the music of The Aristocrats' album releases).

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of post-graduate-level blues-rock based Guitar School expression. There may not be a guitarist as talented as Guthrie, it's just a little disappointing to me how much of his music is firmly founded in the blues and blues-rock traditions.