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7.5
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MARTY FRIEDMAN - Duration: 00:59:33
- Available from: 05/17/2024
- Label:
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Frontiers
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Marty Friedman returns with a new solo album entitled, “Drama”.
As is known, the American guitarist has now lived permanently in Japan for more than twenty years, where he has become an authentic superstar: not only does he speak Japanese fluently and has increasingly immersed himself in Japanese culture, but there are now hundreds of his appearances on TV, in films, TV series, advertising, not to mention his commissions and collaborations with the Japanese government, such as the “Japan Heritage Theme Song”, which he recorded with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and played at official events. Furthermore, to celebrate Japanese music, Friedman has released records entitled “Tokyo Jukebox”, where he reinterprets covers of Japanese songs.
“Drama” instead represents a return to a more classic album as a solo guitarist, even if the accompanying line-up is now also all Japanese (and female), with the exception of Gregg Bissonette on drums and some guests, such as the singers Chris Brooks (Like a Storm) and Steven Baquero Vargas, who perform, respectively, the English and Spanish versions of the only sung track, “Dead Of Winter/2 Rebeldes”.
The album, recorded mainly in Italy, apart from a few sessions in Japan and the USA, presents a slightly different approach compared to the previous “Wall Of Sound” of 2017, in the sense that it is placed all in all in the wake of this one in terms of setting and style but tends to be even lighter in the choice of sounds: metal now seems to be a distant memory and there are just a few more rock episodes such as “Thrill City” or, in part, “Deep End”.
The approach in this sense is therefore quite classic, but Friedman mostly opts for very refined and elegant performances, where his guitar focuses on themes and seems to sing his harmonies, with solos that are always exciting and very full of feeling. With his instrument, the author, as if by magic, note after note, seems to materialize a factory of dreams, giving life to a profound symphony of feelings and sensations with absolute mastery and ease.
That of “Drama” is therefore not the most gritty and disruptive version of Friedman, but rather the most intimate and introspective one. In this sense, tracks such as the initial “Illumination” or “Tearful Confession” are absolute masterpieces, but no less so, for example, “Song For An Eternal Child”, the more orchestral “Triumph”, the elegant “ Mirage” or the airy “A Prayer”.
Paradoxically, we would have expected a greater influence of Japanese music, especially after the latest “Tokyo Jukebox” and after all the collaborations with Japanese musicians and, in particular, in this sense, a song like “The Soldier”, which is could have been found in the previous album instead. Evidently, Marty wanted to distance himself a little from all this context, to return partly to the essence of what his background was.
In conclusion, “Drama” is a very beautiful album, perhaps not Friedman's most creative or original one, but an absolutely high-level work from an executive point of view, as one would expect from a musician of his caliber.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM