PAT METHENY GROUP: STILL LIFE (TALKING)

Pat Metheny here made a VERY refined sound recording: the often very ethereal atmosphere is palpable, although the tracks are quite loaded. The restless, fast and delicate cymbals patterns are delightful. There are many African rhythms & melodies, especially on the "Third wind" track. Metheny's electric guitars are also very refined, fast & melodic. Lyle Mays' keyboards are more atmospheric and more in the background than usual. His rhythmic piano is complex, refined and fast, as always; the background floating keyboards sound like some light orchestral arrangements, and some other more melodic ones sound like graceful flutes, like on "So May It Secretly Begin". Mark Ledford's omnipresent typical chant is perfectly synchronized with Metheny's clean, fast and brief electric guitar notes, like on "Minuano", "Third wind" and "Talk": this is the sound trademark of Pat Metheny. The excellent electric sitar on "Last Train Home" is another element that makes Pat Metheny's stuff easily recognizable. The "Distance" and "In Her Family" tracks are inseparable: the first one rather sounds dramatic & perturbed: it would be perfect for a soundtrack movie, as reveal the Lyle's awkward floating keyboards. "In her family" is made of perfectly synchronized delicate piano and acoustic guitars: it is once magnificently intensified by Lyle's majestic piano & floating streams of keyboards: just hear the progression involved! All the tracks are excellent, and this album is definitely among his best ones.

Rating: 4.5 stars