As the time comes for the venerable "guitar solo" in many rock songs, most guitarists will come out of the gate firing on all cylinders. When Jeff Beck grabs his axe, he fires on cylinders that no one even knew EXISTED and will do it with such uncanny ease and jaw-dropping precision as to make him appear far above us mere "six-string mortals".

When asked what he felt about his newly released album, Jeff, in a recent Guitar Player interview (note: Guitar Player, Sept 2003) our hero laments, "I don't think I've ever hated anything I've done more....This will probably be the last album I do with a mouse". If this is a record he HATES, it is frightening to think of the album that he would LIKE, for Jeff has moments of virtuosity that will bring even the mightiest of gun-slingers to their knees with cries of "I'm not worthy" within it's first few songs.

I like to look at Jeff as the conclusion to a "techno trilogy" that began with 1999's Who Else. Consisting mostly of house beats against programmed sheets of ambience, the songs are mostly riff-based affairs rather than the more traditional melodic-based songwriting approach. Because of this, not all of the songs have the strong melodic content of classic Beck tracks from albums such as Blow by Blow or Guitar Shop but do have moments of Beck's genius that no amount of Pro Tools programming can hold back.

The first surprise of the album is how aggressive some of the tracks are. The beats are lean, mean and in your face which only spurs on Beck to new heights of sonic madness. "Trouble Man" is absolutely raging with Beck wrangling sounds out of his guitar that sound like a computer malfunctioning instead of a Stratocaster through a Marshall amplifier (which he used for a large part of the album). Certainly not what you would expect from a 59 year old rocker who grew up listening to Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran and Buddy Holly. And yet on "Hot Rod Honeymoon", the rockabilly in his playing comes out in full force; over a modern dancefloor beat of course. "Grease Monkey" also puts the ring modulator pedal to good use by producing sounds that we have not yet heard in the rock guitar vocabulary. "Pay Me No Mind" is complete with vocals by (presumably) Beck himself and is a lighthearted bit of fun that will have you humming its chorus all day long.

"JB's Blues" and "Bulgaria" display the soaring, melodic abilities that Beck is so highly revered for. Almost vocal-like in their execution, the songs are in no way encumbered by the conventional limits of the six string electric guitar.

"Seasons" is the best track on the album; Beck's playing is straight from the heart and packs the emotional wallop of an artist that is truly one with his instrument. Starting off dense with its heavy groove and many sequencers, the song goes into a stunning breakdown section where Jeff goes to town: he screams, cries and sings through his guitar. If nothing else, this track alone shows why Jeff Beck is regarded as one of the finest guitarists on the planet.

So, will Jeff be deemed as essential as Wired or Truth? We will leave that for future fates to decide, but for now, if you want to hear the best guitar album of 2003, look no further.

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So What
Plan B
Pork-U-Pine
Seasons
Trouble Man
Grease Monkey
Hot Rod Honeymoon
Line Dancing With Monkeys
JB's Blues
Pay Me No Mind (JB Remix)
My Thing
Bulgaria
Why Lord Oh Why?