TEST FOR ECHO

Keeping up with the rock, but slipping a little in quality, "Test for Echo" is a somewhat mixed bag of serious keepers with a few that'll leave you scratching your head. The lyrics are smart (as always) but the band's playing shows little inventiveness, making the album somewhat bland for periods.

The title track rocks hard, with Geddy's self-described "flamenco bass" sounding very strong, and while most of the songs have all three members on their game, they just don't catch one as much as with "Counterparts". "Resist" is rightfully one of the better songs on the album, with poignant lyrics and vocals; while I enjoy the superficially silly "Dog Years" and "Totem" as well.

As a whole, another one for the fans, but far from the group's weakest.

Songwriting: 3 Instrumental Performances: 3 Lyrics/Vocals: 3 Style/Emotion/Replay: 3