David Lee Roth, the charismatic frontman of VAN HALEN, has officially unveiled his solo track, “Manda Bala,” on YouTube
This particular song was recorded in 2007 alongside guitarist John 5 for an album that, as of yet, remains unreleased.
In 2020, David Lee Roth introduced “Manda Bala” as part of The Roth Project, a web-based comic series narrated by the legendary VAN HALEN vocalist. The musical accompaniment featured John 5 on both guitar and bass, with Gregg Bissonette on drums, Brett Tuggle on keyboards, and Luis Conte on percussion.
In addition to “Manda Bala,” this project showcased four other previously unreleased tracks: “Giddy-Up!,” “Somewhere Over The Rainbow Bar And Grill,” “Alligator Pants,” and “Lo-Rez Sunset.” These songs were all recorded at Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood, California.
John 5 initially gained prominence by contributing to Roth‘s solo album, “DLR Band,” before pursuing opportunities with Marilyn Manson and, subsequently, Rob Zombie. Interestingly, his collaborative efforts with the iconic VAN HALEN frontman occurred over fifteen years ago, with John 5 offering a sneak peek of the album during an interview with Masters Of Shred in May 2019.
In August 2021, John 5 told AL.com that the rest of the unreleased Roth record is in the same vein as the songs that have come out, which have a singer/songwriter sound. “[Dave] wanted to do this kind of a more California sessions type of thing,” the guitarist explained. “And he’s such an artist, I was, like, ‘Whatever you want to do, I’m there for you.’ So it is that kind of vibe. But there’s a lot of multi tracks and different acoustic parts that all work together. It’s kind of orchestrated, if you will.”