Joe Satriani

The latest guitar god calls up keywords like "taste" and "musicality" rather than "flash" and "heavy"--not only does he write melodies (and countermelodies), he f*ckin edits them. Thus he delivers both the prowess cultists demand and the comfort they secretly crave. That it surprises him to hear the result behind insurance commercials only goes to show how little guitar gods know of the world. (Grade: C+)