siLLy puPPy After the release of the 2005 album “Normal,” BUMBLEFOOT replaced Buckethead as the new guitarist in Guns N Roses 3.0 and catapulting him into the gaze of a much larger audience than his little known solo albums ever did. Since then he has only released one solo album, “Abnormal” in 2008 and then it seems he packed up his solo career and put it on the shelf with the exception of some digitally released cover singles in 2011 ranging from “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” from Elton John, “Strawberry Fields Forever” from The Beatles and even the “Pink Panther Theme.” But these were just novelties, not real BUMBLEFOOT music.

As a fan of one of the most talented guitarists of modern times i was excited to hear that finally after 7 long years a new solo album would finally hit the market. Wow! Surely with 7 years of time to write and produce an album, it must surely be the best one of his career, right? Well, not exactly. If you are expecting any of the sheer genius guitar shredding and progressive fortitude polishing every track into a masterpiece put together in totally inventive ways, then go to the album 9-11 and before because this is no return to such heights like “Guitars Suck” or “Chopin Fantasie.” In fact LITTLE BROTHER IS WATCHING basically continues where “Abnormal” left off with BUMBLEFOOT focusing more on catchy alternative rock tracks that wouldn’t sound out of place placed next to Muse, Green Day or the Foo Fighters showcasing his vocal abilities and classic rock songwriting much more than his guitar wizardry, however some short and sweet solos do find their way into the mix but even these seem recycled.

What we basically have here is BUMBLEFOOT on automatic pilot. This album sounds very much like the previous two and not breaking any new ground. As always there is a propensity for extremely catchy melodies with witty lyrics still in play and his talents as a producer shine through as well, however this is a mixed bag songwise for me. There are some strong tracks such as the opener “Clots,” the clever title track about the people, “LITTLE BROTHER,” having taken control by keeping all eyes on the government, the circus music rocker “Cuterebra” and the theremin background alternating with a rowdy rocker “Women Rule The World.” Some ok ones like the three movement “Argentina,” “Don’t Know Who To Pray To Anymore,” tracks like “Higher” where he does his best Freddie Mercury, and some weak tracks like “Livin’ The Dream,” “Sleepwalking” and “Never Again.”

Between his constant touring schedule with GNR and his new band Art Of Anarchy with former Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland diverting his creative juices, it is apparent that at this point in his career a solo album is a mere footnote on his resume and not his main passion as was the case in the past. Still though this has some very strong tracks, some good ones and only a few totally turkeys, but this is BUMBLEFOOT who had me spoiled for several albums in a row with musical genius. Nothing on this one even comes close to those days. If you like nice catchy alternative rock tracks that are radio friendly verging on art punk at times then you may like this but if you are looking for any hints of progressive guitar wizardry then sit this one out. LITTLE BROTHER MAY BE WATCHING but perhaps not listening because this is faaaaaar from his best.

siLLy puPPy Officially titled BAREFOOT The Acoustic EP is basically BUMBLEFOOT showing us that he can be a stripped down singer / songwriter with only him and his guitar, however there are often two guitar tracks so this isn't a live rendition. This album consists of five songs from the Normal and Abnormal albums presented in a totally acoustic fashion. In addition we get seven extras in the form of acoustic instrumentals. Basically I can't say i'm really into this rendition of BUMBLEFOOT. Everything on here is performed extremely well as always but i'm not crazy about the song selections and underwhelmed by the monotony of just one acoustic guitar song after another. An ok album that warrants a listen for fans but this is the first release from this talented artist that I could truly live without and to be honest if I wanted to hear campfire songs i'd rather listen to John Denver.

siLLy puPPy ABNORMAL is the 8th studio album by Ron Thal aka BUMBLEFOOT and the first release as the guitarist for Guns N' Roses. This album is the next step and sequel to the previous album NORMAL and is a concept album about his personal experiences of being a gifted musician who had to learn to exist in a world where he didn't fit in. On the previous album the theme is about being drugged up to fit in with society which in the end makes one happy but makes one impotent regarding the individual gifts that make him a unique musical force.

On this album it's about coming clean and regaining those musical powers but once again feeling out of place and succumbing to the pressures of being different and misunderstood. Although the theme is more sophisticated than previous BUMBLEFOOT albums the music isn't. It retains the hard rock meets grunge sound of the previous album and fits it into some extremely well crafted songs. As usually BUMBLEFOOT exercises his melodic prowess and delivers some beautiful sonic beasts that focus less on his virtuosic playing abilities and more on an overall theme and sound. It could be summed up that this music is melodic and hook-filled with an experimental and punk-based veneer to the whole thing. That isn't to say though that there isn't some incredible blistering guitar playing on here, cuz there certainly is.

Although this album is fairly uniform in its quality there are a few tracks that merit a little extra attention. “Piranha” is just majestic beyond belief. It has a punk-based riffage and some extremely quirky virtuoso ska like things going on with interesting background vocals. One of my favorites. “Guitars Still Suck” which is a play on “Guitars Suck” from the 911 album couldn't sound more different from it. This one is more of a virtuoso jazz meets bluegrass type of thing before morphing into a blues rock number. It is simply amazing and must be heard to be believed. “Spaghetti” is a really cool soundtrack sounding number that hooks you like a Herb Alpert song and takes you for a wild ride. “Redeye” is another melodic punk rocker that is intriguing in its lyrical meaning. “The Day After” is an apocalyptic instrumental that is apparently meant to compliment the previous track “Redeye.”

Not as good as the earlier releases but well worth having for its high quality quirkiness and energetic display of outstanding musicianship. Another great album out of many and mandatory for any BUMBLEFOOT fans who dig the eclectic parade of interesting releases.

siLLy puPPy Basically this release is the leftovers that didn't make it onto previous albums. As far as BUMBLEFOOT music goes the first four tracks are pretty weak but they represent the accurate history of his musical development. They were supposed to be on his 2nd album but were rejected as being too negative and thus became the undeveloped pieces that they sound like.

This album includes most of the tracks that were on the 2000 French version of UNCOOL and left off the 2002 international release. The sole exception is a song titled “We Don't Care” which never found a home on any international release. These songs include include “Mine,” “Heart Attack,” “Girl Like You,” “Crunch,” “She Knows,” and “Maricona.” Personally I would recommend getting the original French version of UNCOOL since it is a superior version to the 2002 version and the songs fit in their original scheme of things and not expensive to obtain.

Other decent tracks include: “Bagged A Big 1,” “Meat,” “She Knows,” “Wasted Away” and “Mafalda.” They are truly worthy of being on other albums but deemed unworthy for whatever reason. I think this has enough worthy material to merit a slot on your shelf if you dig Mr Foot's music. Although there are redundancies if you own all of the studio albums it's hardly a horrible thing to have a few duplicates of BUMBLEFOOT tunes. This is probably a hardcore fan type of package but even if you only heard this album alone you could fall for his unique brand of fusion in the musical world.

siLLy puPPy This is a concept album about taking you into the world of being insane and based on BUMBLEFOOT's life of being “gifted.” It's about the plight of the bright who want to fit in with those who aren't. The story is about a musician who takes medication to dumb himself down so he can fit in with society, but the only problem is the medication makes his musical abilities impotent. At the end he has to decide what he wants and the whole point of the album is to ponder what normality is and how to deal with being different.

The only predictable attribute for any given BUMBLEFOOT album is that it won't sound like any other and the fusion-fest will take you to places you never dreamed but ultimately leaving you satisfied that you took the trip. On NORMAL it's no exception. On this release he takes a plunge into grunge once again and it sounds like perhaps The Foo Fighters may be the key inspiration for the template on this one. Don't let that put you off. Mr Foot takes you where the Foos wouldn't even consider. So consider this journey one of maybe the Foot Fighters. Musically this is probably his least progressive so far.

No need to do the track by track descriptions here. I have to say that BUMBLEFOOT starts to taper off on this release trying to keep a unified theme and all . All the songs are very well done and creative but what lacks is the knocking-your-socks-offism of the first five albums. So spoiled have I become with his music that I expect perfection and total originality 100% of the time. OK, it didn't happen here, but this is still a very good release. This is perhaps the “Wake Of The Poseidon” after many “In The Courts.” Still worth having. Still worth hearing. Just inferior but still very good. Although I get the concept and the music corresponds to it accordingly this is just not as interesting to me as all the previous releases. Still this album still smokes.