This live CD/DVD,
Joe Satriani
's fourth live album and third within a decade, documents a May 2008 performance in Paris given not long after the release of his 2008 album
Professor Satchafunkilus and the Musterion of Rock
. Expectedly,
Satriani
dips fairly heavily into that new record -- the title song, which opens the album, is from
Professor Satch
-- but what's played isn't as important as how it's played, as it always is with
. This isn't a departure, it's a crowd-pleaser, not in terms of songs -- although almost all of
's anthems are aired -- but in terms of sound, with the general style being familiar and the details different, with Satriani continuing to find fluid, inventive ways around the fretboard. Such details are the province of the diehard, but then again, those considering purchasing
Satch
's second double-disc live set aren't dabblers; they're in it for the nuanced phrasing
manages regardless of the speed or volume of his playing, and
Live in Paris
offers as many marvelous moments as his other live sets. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine