JIOSA

Even acclaimed smooth-jazz musicians must stand at the mirror and dream of rocking out. Here, Grammy-nominated guitarist Denny Jiosa gets his chance by positioning himself at the head of a mighty power trio. While the versatile virtuoso breaks up his shredding with ballads and even a Beatles cover, it’s the blustery, bluesy hard-rock tunes—the ones you could most imagine David Lee Roth high-kicking along to—that he really bites into. On “Dynamite” and “Spytime,” Jiosa segues from lead riffs into screeching solos and atmospheric interludes, occasionally letting his bassist and drummer grab the spotlight. The surging title cut gives the impression they’ve brought in a silent fourth member as well—someone to work the smoke machine.