BACK INTO THE FUTURE

Man certainly shows a lot of potential on this record, but somehow this music doesn't really connect. There are certainly some good points, the two guitarists know how to jam and the keyboardist often takes the music to another level thanks to his ability to shape sounds on the analogue synthesizer in real time, not an easy thing to do on those old quirky 70s boards. I also think the band is really good at long arrangements that feature improvisational sections mixed with arranged sections. Plus there is a section on C'mon where the band imitates a Gregorian choir, very impressive especially when you consider this is a live track presumably with no overdubs.

But there are some bad points too. The lead vocals are not particularly good. They remind me of a lot of Southern California bands from this era, not bad, but not very inspiring either. The production on the drums is not very good either. I'm sure he is playing a nice set, but they are too quiet and come out sounding like cardboard boxes much of the time. But the big problem is the rhythm section as a whole, they cannot hit a groove. I think the bassist is the worst offender, but the drummer is no help either. No matter what rhythm they play it always breaks down to ... Boom boom Boom boom Boom boom Boom boom, always this static two beat pattern.

What makes this clumsy rhythm seem even more ironic is that the guitarists obviously have a lot of funk and RnB influences, but there is no way they are going to get a groove on with this unfunky drum and bass duo. Anyway, because of its many good points I think there will be many people who can enjoy this album, but I would have liked it better if the rhythm section was on the same par as the soloists.