When
Eric Gales first arrived on the scene, he was being heralded by some as the second coming of
Jimi Hendrix. Well, it didn't exactly work out that way, but
Gales continues to issue albums, and his playing is still full of funky
Hendrix-isms, as evidenced by his 2006 release,
Crystal Vision. Longtime Shrapnel Records head Mike Varney lends a hand throughout -- co-producing the album with
Gales, and co-writing nearly all the songs with him -- which results in the exact type of stylistic album you'd expect from the guitarist. This is certainly apparent on such selections as "Are You My Friend" (on which
Gales' vocals are the spitting image of Doug Pinnick from
King's X), the slow and bluesy "Freedom from My Demons," a cover of "Hush," and the album-opening "Retribution," which sees
Gales go the
Zeppelin route. Bluesy,
Hendrix-y, and funky -- sounds about right for a new
Eric Gales release. ~ Greg Prato