Paul Gilbert – WROC

Imagine this: Paul Gilbert is sitting on a plane on his way home after the very last performance of Mr. Big at the Japanese Budokan. The band he carried for decades has officially disbanded, and what does a guitar wunderkind do at such a moment? He picks up a booklet full of 18th-century rules of etiquette and thinks: I will make a rock album out of this. It sounds absurd. It is absurd. And that is precisely why it works so damn well.

“WROC”, an acronym for Washington’s Rules of Civility, is Gilbert’s first vocal solo album since 2016’s “I Can Destroy” and immediately his most extravagant undertaking. The source of inspiration is a conduct manual written by Jesuits in 1595, later adopted by George Washington, and now transformed into thirteen red-hot rock tracks. If that is not reason enough to put your guitar in a tricorn hat and head into the studio, I do not know what is. Recorded in just four days at The Hallowed Halls in Portland, Oregon, together with drummer Nick D’Virgilio, guitarist Doug Rappoport and bassist Timmer Blakely, the album breathes the energy of musicians fully enjoying the moment. You can hear it. Every note sounds as though it was conceived on the spot, albeit by someone who has known his instrument down to the molecular level for forty years.

Opener “Keep Your Feet Firm and Even” sets the tone straight away: a melodic riff, classic Gilbert harmonies and a solo that reminds you why this man is on the shortlist of the greatest guitarists of all time. It is AC/DC energy mixed with Burt Bacharach flair, filtered through Steppenwolf’s “The Pusher” and rewritten in 7/8 time. Normally, that would be a recipe for disaster. Here, it sounds like genius. The album offers constant surprises. “Maintain a Sweet and Cheerful Countenance”, an exhortation to remain cheerful even when you absolutely do not feel like it, has a quasi-disco boogie flavour that would have fitted perfectly into the 1970s. “Go Not Thither”, the first single and recommended for those not yet familiar with the album, combines vibrato pedals, regal harmonics and ZZ Top-style blues hollering in a way that makes you rewind twice. “Show Not Yourself Glad (At the Misfortune of Another)” descends into almost punky territory before soaring back up again, while Gilbert urges listeners not to laugh at the misfortune of others. You might even become a better person as a result.

The absolute highlight is “Spark of Celestial Fire”, the longest track on the album with a running time of over eight minutes. Here Gilbert unfolds as both blues singer and lead guitarist, and it is pure class. His voice, which he usually does not regard as his strongest weapon, has a depth and authority here that surprises. If there is a critical note to be made, it is this: fans accustomed to Eric Martin’s angelic voice in Mr. Big will need to adjust. Gilbert is not a bad singer, but he is not a phenomenon in that respect either. Fortunately, the musical freedom more than compensates.

“WROC” is the kind of album that sounds better the second time than the first, and even better the third time than the second. It is contrarian, brilliant and surprisingly accessible for a record lyrically based on centuries-old lessons in manners. Or, as George Washington would probably have put it himself: ‘Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself.’ Paul Gilbert has taken that advice to heart and distilled thirteen magnificent rock tracks from it. (9/10) (Music Theories Recordings)