One of the online trailers for Stillness In Motion begins with a montage of fans tattooed with various pieces of Vai ephemera, from logos to portraits. They’re symbols of devotion to a musician equipped to inspire it: Vai’s has been a restless career in which he has transcended the brief years of stadium rock goddery with David Lee Roth and Whitesnake for something less commercially visible yet sustained and rewarding.
Stillness In Motion, which comes in a CD/DVD package, was recorded three years ago, but Vai’s technique remains space-age, his fingers sending rivers of sound flowing, whether they be the heavy techno-metal of Gravity Storm, the late-night inflections of Tender Surrender, or the Van Halen stylings of The Audience Is Listening.
His hardcore audience is other guitarists, but with a rock-solid band behind him, Vai’s compositions have enough charm and variety for anyone to dip in and admire a craftsman at his creative peak and at home in his offbeat skin./o:p
