''Stevie Salas Colorcode'' is the debut album by the Native American guitar player

Stevie Salas Stevie Salas (born November 17, 1964) is an American guitarist, author, television host, music director, record producer, film composer, and former advisor of contemporary music at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. Salas ...

, released in 1990. Colorcode was the name Salas gave to his band. Salas supported the album by opening for

Joe Satriani Joseph Satriani (born July 15, 1956)Prato, Greg"Joe Satriani – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". ''AllMusic''. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014. is an American rock music, rock guitarist, composer, and songwriter. Early in hi ...

on a North American tour. The album was a commercial disappointment in the United States, but sold well in international markets. The album's first single was "The Harder They Come".

Production

Recorded in New York, the album was coproduced by

Bill Laswell William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, wo ...

. Colorcode included Winston Watson Jr. on drums and C.J. De Villier on bass. Salas wrote or cowrote all of the album's songs;

Parthenon Huxley Richard Willett Miller, professionally known as Parthenon Huxley (born January 19, 1956) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and producer who is known for his solo albums and for his involvement in ELO Part II and The Orchestra, both o ...

contributed to some of the lyrics. Salas was at times fretful during the recording sessions, worried because he had quit lucrative sideman jobs.

Critical reception

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'' thought that Salas "sings with an almost audible sneer, and his guitar playing is white hot." ''

The Province ''The Province'' is a daily newspaper published in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format in British Columbia by Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, alongside the ''Vancouver Sun'' broadsheet newspaper. Together, they ...

'' determined that Salas "knows how to lock into a groove and doesn't forsake melody for flash—a Hendrix legacy that other modern guitarists overlook." ''

The Buffalo News ''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. On January 29, 2020, th ...

'' appreciated that Salas "never once drops his basic allegiance to the underlying funk groove." The ''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The C ...

'' lamented that the "songs do nothing more than showcase heyoung guitarist." The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' concluded: "Caught in the limboland between glam rock and Journey-inspired tunes, Stevie Salas allows a menagerie of his musical influences to shine through." ''

The San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

'' deemed the album "a flashy, brash debut, full of talent and youthful exuberance."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

wrote that "'Indian Chief', a touching, Hendrix-inspired ode to Salas' father, is an understated highlight." ''

The Rolling Stone Album Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...

'' opined that Salas's guitar playing moves "beyond the usual funk-and-metal clichés."

Track listing

References

{{Authority control Stevie Salas albums 1990 debut albums Island Records albums