Personnel: Adrain Belew (vocals, various instruments); Martha Belew, Sherry Webb, Iris Belew, Ken Latchney, Stan Hertzman (vocals). After a foray into instrumental improvisation in the modern classical mode (1995's THE GUITAR AS ORCHESTRA), idiosyncratic songwriter and guitar wizard Adrian Belew returned to the pop fold with renewed vigor on OP ZOP TOO WAH. The rocker "Six String" (a love song to his guitar), the Beatles-esque "Beautiful" and the carefree ditty "Something to Do" provide more of the bright, hook-stuffed songcraft that characterized most of Belew's late '80s and early '90s recordings. But Belew is no average tunesmith. The astonishing range of his technical facility and all-around musicianship, and his fascination with varied sonic textures and dense polyrhythms, can generate savage, tribal trips through the jungle ("Of Bow and Drum") or ethereal, surreal impressions ("Sky Blue Red Bird Green House"). Belew's avant-garde sensibilities are in evidence too, especially on cuts such as "Word Play Drum Beat," which features voice samples over a lone rhythm track, the ethno-surf-boogie of the title cut and the ear-bending big top solo on "High Wire Guitar." Taken together, these accomplished experiments make OP ZOP TOO WAH Belew's most interesting and cohesive pop effort since MR. MUSIC HEAD.

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Personnel: Adrain Belew (vocals, various instruments); Martha Belew, Sherry Webb, Iris Belew, Ken Latchney, Stan Hertzman (vocals). After a foray into instrumental improvisation in the modern classical mode (1995's THE GUITAR AS ORCHESTRA), idiosyncratic songwriter and guitar wizard Adrian Belew returned to the pop fold with renewed vigor on OP ZOP TOO WAH. The rocker "Six String" (a love song to his guitar), the Beatles-esque "Beautiful" and the carefree ditty "Something to Do" provide more of the bright, hook-stuffed songcraft that characterized most of Belew's late '80s and early '90s recordings. But Belew is no average tunesmith. The astonishing range of his technical facility and all-around musicianship, and his fascination with varied sonic textures and dense polyrhythms, can generate savage, tribal trips through the jungle ("Of Bow and Drum") or ethereal, surreal impressions ("Sky Blue Red Bird Green House"). Belew's avant-garde sensibilities are in evidence too, especially on cuts such as "Word Play Drum Beat," which features voice samples over a lone rhythm track, the ethno-surf-boogie of the title cut and the ear-bending big top solo on "High Wire Guitar." Taken together, these accomplished experiments make OP ZOP TOO WAH Belew's most interesting and cohesive pop effort since MR. MUSIC HEAD.