You never quite know what style of guitar playing is going to greet you when you put on a new Paul Gilbert disc, as he's tackled blues, pop, and acoustic pieces in the past. But on his 2008 release, Silence Followed by a Deafening Roar, Gilbert focuses on what made him such a renowned player among guitar shredders worldwide in the first place, as he totally focuses on his soloing and riffing capabilities (and goes "all instrumental," to boot). It may be 2008, but such tunes as the album-opening title track and "Eudaimonia Overture" could have easily come out in 1988, and probably would have caught the attention of every Guitar for the Practicing Musician subscriber at the time…
Paul Gilbert's second solo record "Flying Dog", is a combination of clever writing and awesome guitar work. As a member of the '80's premier guitar band RACER X and later, million sellers MR. BIG, Gilbert has gained reputation as being one of the most melodic and powerful guitar players in the rock arena. Gilbert's solo work has allowed him the opportunity to exercise his deep appreciation for the more song oriented side of rock music.
Following Paul Gilbert's last highly successful CD, "Fuzz Universe," "Vibrato" is a hybrid instrumental/vocal CD by an important guitarist regarded internationally as one of the greatest players in the industry. Boasting four phenomenal new instrumentals, four new vocal tunes and three riveting live tracks covering artists such as Yes, Muddy Waters and AC/DC, Gilbert once again proves why he is the guitarist's guitarist.
While most of the guitarists that belonged to the '80s "shred" movement seemed to put instrumental virtuosity first (over writing memorable and hummable songs), there were a few exceptions – notably Paul Gilbert. Of course, Gilbert can light up a fretboard with his chop-heavy technique when he so desires, but as evidenced with his work as part of Mr. Big, he can also pen an acoustic ditty or power ballad that will make housewives worldwide sing along. On his 2009 release, United States, Gilbert teams up with singer Freddie Nelson, for a set of rockin' tunes that leans heavy on the melodic side of things.
Hot on the heels of his successful Silence Followed By A Deafening Roar CD, Fuzz Universe is the third all-instrumental CD by guitarist Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big), regarded internationally as one of the greatest players in the industry.
Best known for his work with Racer X and Mr. Big, there’s no denying that Paul Gilbert is a phenomenally talented guitarist. The Dio Album features 12 covers (plus Japanese bonus track) of some of the late legend Ronnie James Dio's most iconic works with a certain twist: Gilbert has replaced the would-be vocals with verbatim lead guitar parts. Forged out of love and admiration for Ronnie James Dio's music, Gilbert's inspiration for a Dio covers record came to him unexpectedly, but nonetheless transformed into a unique collection of songs worthy of a sea of metal horns.
Whenever a new album comes out that features the guitar work of Paul Gilbert, it's anyone's guess as to what it'll sound like – it could either be over-the-top shredding (à la Racer X) or melodic rock with an emphasis on pop hooks (à la Mr. Big). On his 2005 solo release, Spaceship One, Gilbert manages to somehow combine the two different musical worlds and also adds a splash of power pop to the proceedings as well. But this shouldn't come as much of a surprise to longtime fans, as Gilbert has voiced his appreciation of pop eccentric Todd Rundgren over the years (even appearing as part of the choir/chorus on Rundgren's 1989 release Nearly Human)…
Werewolves of Portland is guitarist extraordinaire Paul Gilbert's new solo album, his sixteenth, on Mascot Label Group / The Players Club. Because the world went into lockdown early 2020, it wasn't possible to get a band to record in the studio. The result was that Paul plays all instruments on this album: drums (except for ONE snareroll that was too difficult to play), keyboards, bass, and of course guitar. As with Paul's previous album Behold Electric Guitar, the inspiration for the songs did not come from the guitar, but from writing lyrics and singing melodies. Paul explains: "The process of writing lyrics, then melody, then guitar, then backing it all up with the other instruments is a wonderful discovery that really started coming together for me on Behold Electric Guitar."