ROAD ISLAND

After their first two albums, Ambrosia seemed to shift gear and move towards soft R&B and pop fluff. Life Beyond LA, apart from its singles, seemed morose and bland. One Eighty was a bit more energetic but still lightweight and starting to get silly. Buying this CD, I was expecting to hear more of the same, and find a just a few tracks that I liked on this album. But they actually gave it their all for this! Every song is good, and most are EXCELLENT! The lyrics give away the fact the band knew they were recording their last album.

The opening song sounds very much like Pink Floyd (probably because the album is produced by Pink Floyd engineer James Guthrie). A tiny bit bland compared to the rest of the album, but it's an acceptable opener to this album. Very heavy song.

Still Not Satisfied is a very good song, just prog rock enough to make it interesting. Good harmonies and awesome groove.

Not A Kid Anymore is a bit 80s huey lewis style cheesey, but the manic marimba solo (and top notch playing) redeems it. If they had made this a bit heavier or something it might have sounded better. It's still better than most of the stuff off the previous two albums.

Feeling Alive Again is a beautiful McCartneyish ballad. Outstanding vocals by David Pack.

How Can You Love Me is an good song, not particularly original but with good harmonies and playing. A bit dated sounding, the 80s crept into this track too.

Fool Like Me is an achingly beautiful song that sounds vaguely like Genesis on Then There Were Three, with a soaring guitar and a wistful, noodling keyboard solo.

Ice Age is a very creative prog rock song with innovative (for the time) use of technology. Synchronized echoing vocal lines and a very heavy drum sound, and of course time signature changes.

Endings is a good song to close the album with, a bit of a Beach Boys sound to the vocals and a haunting electric piano break.

If you liked their first few albums but wondered what happened after that, you'll definitely like this album!