Even for those unable to sit through a Vai or Satriani album will find that Timmons delivers his releases in a way that it becomes an earworm.

Andy Timmons is a genius... period. What exactly do you say about a guy that's arguably the finest guitarist on the planet today. Admittedly Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Paul Gilbert are all top of their game and their virtuosity can be frightening, but for me Timmons has the edge with his shrewd use of melody and textures. On hearing his debut album 'Ear Xtacy' back in the day, it became apparent that Timmons had more in his arsenal than thousand-mile-an-hour shredding. His use of melody and counter-melody, allied with sublime playing and soaring soloing, has, in my opinion, cemented his place in the upper echelons of the "Guitar Gods".

As with all Timmons albums, 'Theme From A Perfect World' is an instrumental album, however one thankfully devoid of mindless widdling and swarms of bumblebees buzzing at every turn. Timmons, through his years with D2 and Olivia Newton-John, has retained a great ear for melody which he incorporates into each and every track. The best way to describe this is listening to a really great album that dips and soars into territories that are inherently different than more traditional vocal-led releases.

'...World' is an album you can listen to anytime. It's diverse but at all times hugely melodic and even for those unable to sit through a Vai or Satriani album will find that Timmons delivers his releases in a way that it becomes an earworm and you will simply not want it to end. From the glorious opener 'Ascension' through the Poppier leanings of 'Winterland' and the beautiful Blues/Jazz flavoured 'That Day Came', he can do no wrong. Timmons could've moved to Nashville and become a millionaire "go to" player yet he chose to keep composing original music highlighting his unnatural ability to blend almost every type of music into each piece with minimum fuss and maximum melody.

By his own admission Andy Timmon's own musical tastes have broadened over the years and his current work reflects those influences. You'll find nothing as aggressive as 'Carpe Diem' but what you will find is how a guitar should be played in such a way as to be expressive yet not overbearing. It's a joy to listen to him play and I'm pretty sure, in time, 'Theme From A Perfect World' will be just as highly regarded by those who hail 'Passion And Warfare' or 'Surfing With The Alien' as masterpieces.

Kieran Dargan