Thank You

by Vincent JeffriesThe first of many instrumental and alternately arranged forays into more dynamic musical realms, Thank You is Teutonic shred head Michael Schenker's acoustic side trip into the warm and fuzzy soft rock landscape. During the harmonic high notes ("Courage and Confidence," "Love and Kindness"), Schenker does his best to squeeze out some rapid solos and generally treats his acoustic guitar as if it were anything but. The overdubbed picking exercises on "Endless Possibility" take the tendency toward spatially challenged 16th-note misappropriation to its most uncomfortable extreme. The blood of brother Rudolf can be heard as it courses through Schenker's fret-bound fingers on powerless power ballads like "Faith and Trust," sorely missing the big electric resolutions that anyone who has listened to FM radio over the last 25 years is now trained to expect after so much slow-motion acoustic rock. The melodies are sweet and the technique is flawless, as Schenker (unlike many bloated virtuosos of his day) actually shows an improved command of his instrument with each passing year. Beyond its clinical elements, there's little insight and emotion driving Thank You, so while fans of the guitarist might have reason to celebrate the demonstrations of dexterity, outsiders will only briefly wonder at the musician's control, before so much unattached note work finally blurs their senses.