If I had to describe Paul Gilbert’s playing style, I’d say…  “it sounds like Saturday morning cartoons”.  Huh?  Well, you remember when you were a kid and how excited you were for Saturday morning to roll around…  you had no school, you got to sleep in late, and when you rolled out of bed you ran into the kitchen, grabbed you a big bowl of Sugar Smacks, and plopped down in front of the TV to tune into Scooby Doo or Fat Albert or Sigmund The Sea Monster or He-Man or whatever floated your boat at such a young age.  That overwhelming feeling of elation and joy is a perfect description of what I feel when I listen to Paul Gilbert play ANYTHING.  He’s that good.

If I had to pick a Paul Gilbert song from one of his projects (either Racer X, Mr. Big, or solo), I’d have to go with the killer supersonic bluesiness of “Down To Mexico”.  Pick any version (live or studio) and not only do you have a shredtastic delight , but you’ve also got a song too-  this ain’t just three and a half minutes of non-stop noodling; you’ve got yer typical verse/chorus section and singalong bits but it’s that jacked up intensity of the riff, punchy band performance, and over the top soloing that grabs your ear and keeps me hitting the replay button.  And while singing of the fun ‘n sun down Mexico way is kinda cool and all, that ain’t what’s bringing you here now is it?  Naaaaah baby naaaaah…

So yeah Paul Gilbert is my “Saturday morning cartoons”…  how can you not feel a sense of excitement when listening to “Down To Mexico”?  It’s that non-stop push and energetic fervor that’s on full display; the bends and slides in that oh so toxic intro; the unison bass/guitar noodling at the tail end of that main riff; and that slippery middle guitar section that is my Scooby Doo.  And when it’s over I put it back on again and it’s my Speed Racer…  and then on again and now it’s Grape Ape…  and then on again and it’s…