Music review: Dweezil Zappa – 鈥橵ia Zammata鈥�
Because my oldest brother was a Frank Zappa fan, I naturally became a fan as well.
After borrowing my brother鈥檚 copy of 1976鈥檚 鈥淶oot Allures鈥� featuring bizarre selections like 鈥淲ind Up Workin鈥� in a Gas Station,鈥� 鈥淭he Torture Never Stops鈥� and 鈥淒isco Boy,鈥� I was hooked and would spend the following years listening to every new Zappa album my brother would bring home.
Dweezil Zappa follows in his legendary father鈥檚 innovative footsteps with a new release that captures the creative lunacy that fueled his father while also flashing moments of infectious pop stylings. Named for the Sicilian street where the Zappa family originated, 鈥淰ia Zammata'鈥� is Zappa鈥檚 first new solo album of original material since 2006鈥檚 鈥淕o With What You Know.鈥�
For the new album, Zappa was able to put into practice what he has absorbed from studying and performing his father鈥檚 music over the last 10 years. The 46-year-old guitarist comes into his own both musically and lyrically with the creation of the new material.
The album opens with a tantalizing instrumental that blends soaring orchestration with the cosmic edge of progressive rock on 鈥淔unky 15,鈥� followed by an angelic chorus intro that quickly transitions into a rousing guitar-driven track on 鈥淩at Race.鈥� 鈥淲hat If鈥� and 鈥淛ust the Way She Is鈥� freely flow with the pop sensibilities of Fountains of Wayne and 鈥淭ruth鈥� features more elegant string offers before gently yielding to Zappa鈥檚 beautiful guitar work on this instrumental that could easily be mistaken for a composition comprised from the brilliant mind of Brian Wilson for 鈥淧et Sounds.鈥�
The two major highlights of the album involve a pair of engaging collaborations. 鈥淒ragon Master鈥� is a menacing heavy metal number first hatched by Zappa鈥檚 father in 1988 and displays some masterful guitar work and Judas Priest-like vocals, while 鈥淢alkovich鈥� is a surreal opus that revolves around the narration of actor John Malkovich delivering portions of Plato鈥檚 鈥淎llegory of the Cave.鈥�
Zappa鈥檚 latest release proves to be a delightful piece of controlled chaos that reflects his father鈥檚 genius and passion to push the musical boundaries into areas often forgotten or unimagined.
Clint Rhodes is the 缅北禁地 music reviewer. He can be reached at crhodes@heraldstandard.com.