ANAND – A Man’s Mind

Okay, let’s get this out on the table right away. There’s an old saying that goes “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” If this is true, then Dutch guitar ace Anand Mahangoe must have thought very highly of Joe Satriani during the recording of A Man’s Mind. This release symbolizes Anand’s first guitar instrumental release, and in 2005 it sees re-release through Lion Music and contains an updated sound and two bonus tracks. It will be very difficult for any well-versed listener to spin this release and not occasionally think of Surfing With The Alien-era Joe Satriani.

Not only is this true in some of the guitar lines, but also during some of the rhythm section verses. During most songs, you’ll feel the drum vibe of a typical Jeff Campitelli stomp, and a typical thumping, plodding Stu Hamm bass line. None of this is a bad thing because it winds up producing some damn fine music. With that aside, this release is indeed worthy of attention. Throughout this CD, Anand proves he’s an accomplished guitarist, delivering sweeps, legato runs, etc.; just pretend you’ve never heard of Joe Satriani.

Tracks like “Return From The Red Bananaworld” and “Attack of The Horrible Space Babies” are rockers that will make you sit up and pay attention. Right away the freshman Anand proves that not only can he write a catchy song structure, but he can also play extended solos with energy, feel, technique, and melody. “Mimi Goes Hype” is a blaster containing some nice heavy riffing by Anand and a middle section that almost sounds Rush-like (think “Red Barchetta”). Honestly, there’s not a horrible track on this release. The only complaint to be had is that there is a slight overabundance of mid-tempo, slower tracks present. Unfortunately, most are sandwiched in-between some of the album’s finest moments.

For owners of the original, you’ll find that this re-release has a crystal clear production that makes the percussion sound like it’s jumping out of your speakers. The two bonus tracks also bear mention. “Get In” is a nice rocker, and a worthy addition, while “Another Side Of Me” is an acoustic track, and is certainly the slowest number on the entire album.

Bottom line: Anand is an accomplished instrumental guitarist whose initial release is a collection of songs that is pleasurable to listen to even if they have a certain familiarity to them. He plays with energy, feel, technique, and melody, but most importantly creates songs that are memorable. If not for the fact that Satriani beat him to market, Anand would probably already be a well-known musician. Unfortunately, this release will continue his branding as a Satriani clone … so damn the masses, who cares? If you don’t already have this release, buy it, pull out your silver surfboard and crank it to “10!”

Lineup

Anand – Guitars
Egon Poka – Bass
Csaba Tobola – Drums
Gyula Gaspar – Bass
Rob Fahnrich – Keyboards