FOCUS

The side project of four up-and-coming Norwegian musicians, this is their sophomore studio album release, their first since their self-titled 2022 debut.

1. "Camel" (9:11) yes there is some similarity in the guitar tones used by Tom Hasslan's two lead guitar tracks to those of Andy Latimer--and some similarity to the style and sounds on display to Camel, (as one would predict based on the title) but there are also some elements of FOCUS and even some of the other classic Canterbury bands to be heard. We are definitely on a guitar instrumental trajectory, sounding more and more like a tribute to Jan Akkerman the further into the song we go. Tom can really jam! And his band is right there with him (especially impressive is the drumming of Axel Skalstad). Vegard Lien Bjerkan gets a solo in the sixth, seventh, and eighth minutes on his electric piano. It's nice but it's almost drowned out by the rhythm section (with the delightful play of bassist Trond Frønes really standing out here), then it's back to Tom and his guitar to lead us out of the desert. Nice tune. (18/20)

2. "Pocus" (8:30) a nice four-chord semi-Reggae syncopated Jazz-Rock Fusion jam is established over the first 1:50 before a stop and keyboard chord progression washes out the previous motif making way for the some Camel-esque guitar and bass grooving over which Tom Hasslan solos using a double-sounding Smooth Jazz sound à la Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour, John Abercrombie, or Eef Albers. Nice solo with some bluesy roots (which is augmented by Vegard's organ play beneath). There really is a lot of Jan Akkerman/Focus in this motif! At 5:10 a proggy bridge segues back to that four-chord semi-Reggae motif over which Vegard Lien Bjerkan solos on his clavinet quite beautifully while drummer Axel Skalstad really impresses in the rhythm section. Great passage! And then they close it out! Darn! (18.75/20)

3. "Focus" (8:40) a light, melodic Jazz-Rock Fusion touristic joy ride down some of the roads suburban and country roads of Scandanavia (or anywhere joy and Nature can be enjoyed with the wind whisking through your hair). Guitarist Tom Hasslan is in the driver's seat most of the time with this chorused and MIDIed double channeled Jeff "Skunk" Baxter-like lead guitar being duplicated and/or MIDI-ed with Vegard Lien Bjerkan's keyboard's right hand. (I think it more Tom's double tracks.) Very pleasant, enjoyable, entertaining, and interesting. When Vegard takes over the lead in the sixth minute it sounds as if we're now listening to an EARTH, WIND & FIRE song ("That's the Way of the World"), that's how melodic, laid back, and funky the base groove is. I love drummer Axel Skalstad's interplay just beneath Vegard's amazing synth solo in the eighth minute. Awesome song! It has some of the joyful energy of AIR's famous music from Moon Safari. (19/20)

4. "Oh Jimi" (10:19) definitely closer to the school of STEVIE RAY VAUGHN than that of JIMI HENDIRX--though the structure of the composition and sound palette choices do strongly evoke the music of Jimi. The second half of the song, with keyboard in the lead, sees the rhythm section take on a heavy ponderousness that feels and sounds a lot like SEVEN IMPALE. (17.875/20)

Total Time 36:40

I was right! This band--these musicians--could get better! And they did! Both in terms of skill diversity and compositional maturity, and--bonus!--sound engineering choices. The music is still very heavily-founded in blues-rock music but the musicianship is better, the cohesiveness better, the sound production (and choices) vastly improved. It seems to me that these guys--with this project--see it as their mission to revive the heavy blues-rock music traditions of Jimi, Cream, Rush, Stevie Ray, Here they give it a little of the massive gravity of fellow Norwegians, SEVEN IMPALE infused with a little of the serious happiness of more recent JAGA JAZZIST. However, where their debut album consisted of four loosely-organized jam songs, giving them a SAMSARA BLUES PROJECT kind of sound, this one shows more sophistication and complexity in both musicianship and composition.

A-/five stars; a wonderfully-refreshing upbeat minor masterpiece of modern Jazz-Rock Fusion. So glad to have targeted these guys for "future/follow" when they released their debut back in 2022.

Social review comments

Review related links

• Send comments to BrufordFreak
• Report this review (#3192087)
• Buy SOFT FFOG music online with PA partners
• Show all SOFT FFOG MP3/Stream
• Go to SOFT FFOG page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Focus page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for SOFT FFOG related discussions