Steve Vai - The Story Of Light

180-gram vinyl, 45 RPM double LP, gatefold jacket

Mastered by Bernie Grundman

Virtuoso guitarist and visionary composer Steve Vai's The Story of Light, a new solo album of original material, continues a conceptual and cosmic narrative arc begun on the artist's acclaimed 2005 album Real Illusions: Reflections. The Story of Light, with its sprawing and expressive 12-song set, comes out on Favored Nations Entertainment, the label Val founded in 1999.

Although The Story of Light is largely instrumental, the album does feature guest vocalists, including singer-songwriter Aimee Mann — dueting with Vai on “No More Amsterdam,” which she also co-wrote — and Beverly McClellan, a season one finalist on The Voice. McClellan appears on "John the Revelator," a track inspired by a vintage recording of blues singer Blind Willie Johnson, whose acid-soaked vocals are in the mix as well. Other highlights include the title track (which opens the album), "Gravity Storm," "The Moon and I," and "Velorum."

Throughout, three-time Grammy-winner Vai's lead guitar is as lyrically resonant as it is technically masterful, his licks and solos bending sounds and in listeners' minds in equal measure. The Story of Light follows the journey of a man driven mad by grief, intertwining tragedy, revelation, enlightenment, and redemption.

"I'm always pursuing knowledge, I'm a seeker of spiritual equilibrium-and music is a big part of that," says Vai. "I've been obsessed with these kinds of ideas for years." Looking ahead, Vai envisions a third set of songs that will unravel the mysteries and reveal truths that swirl through both The Story of Light and Real Illusions: Reflections. The completed trilogy, intended to be cinematic — even operatic — in scope, will include lyrics and narration.