The Ultra Zone

1	The Blood and Tears Instrumental 4:26
2	The Ultra Zone Instrumental 4:52
3	Oooo Instrumental 5:12
4	Frank Instrumental 5:09
5	Jibboom Instrumental 3:46
6	Voodoo Acid 6:25
7	Windows to the Soul 6:25
8	The Silent Within 5:00
9	I'll Be Around 4:57
10	Lucky Charms Instrumental 6:44
11	Fever Dream Instrumental 6:03
12	Here I Am 4:12
13	Asian Sky 5:34

Barnes & Noble

Considering that Steve Vai has been on the cutting edge of rock guitar-playing since he was a teenager working with Frank Zappa, you might expect him to embrace the skittery beats and syncopated rhythms of drum 'n' bass the way Jeff Beck did on his recent release, WHO ELSE? But Vai has never been a follower, and while he does experiment with the occasional electronic beat on his new album, THE ULTRA ZONE, he does so merely to add flavor to his uncanny guitar sounds. Throughout the disc, Vai explores euphonious melodies ("Frank," "Lucky Charms"), Middle Eastern hooks ("The Blood and the Tears"), avant-jazz passages ("OOOO"), sheer metallic trailblazing ("Jibboom") and otherworldly guitar exhortations ("Voodoo Acid") like no performer on the guitar-god circuit. He's at his best when performing without vocal accompaniment (which mars four songs) and instead demonstrating once again why Zappa dubbed him the master of "impossible guitar parts." Jon Wiederhorn

All Music Guide

This album contains two tributes to two other stellar guitarists. One of those is "Jiboom," which pays homage to Stevie Ray Vaughan, while "Frank" remembers Frank Zappa. Vai saw his career begin as a teenage stunt guitarist for Frank Zappa. Later, Mike Keneally performed the same role in a band backing Zappa. For this album, Keneally toured in Vai's band, but plays keyboards on the album. It is an amazing exhibition of six-string talent. Tom Schulte