Adrian Belew is one of the world's most underrated guitarists, and his unique talents truly deserve more attention. He's played guitar with
Frank Zappa and
David Bowie, and also handled lead vocal duties with
King Crimson. On his 1994 solo release Here, Belew not only wrote all of the material himself (co-writing one with
Ross Rice), he also played every single instrument and served as the album's producer. His vocal style is quite similar to
David Byrne, while his guitar style cannot be compared to anyone -- it's completely unpredictable and off the wall. The album's biggest surprise is the calm, psychedelic track "Fly," with a stark arrangement (voice, acoustic guitar, and an effect here and there) only intensifying the song's spacious, haunting feel. The album's upbeat opener, "May 1, 1990," finds
Belew telling about a date on which "something changed inside me," while "Never Enough" is a warped rocker in classic
Belew style (on which he makes his guitar sound like a violin). Here is a good representation of present-day
Belew, but as his longtime fans know, it's not by any means a permanent direction. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
