THE BRECKER BROTHERS

"Slang" starts the album off very strong. Cool, yet forward-driving jam, complete with a beautiful horn solo from Randy. The album feels a lot more "straight" compared to the last, Return of the Brecker Brothers, which had a heavy Latin slant. The overall straightness continues on the cool, reflective "Evocations". Not a whole lot of excitement here. "Scrunch" then follows it and it also ain't a whole lot to write home about... Straight-playin' Brecker Bros. unsurprisingly means more of a Smooth Jazz thing, so not for me. You'll hear this un-Fusion on other tracks like "Secret Heart" (at least sort of classic), "African Skies" (but strong soloing from Michael and some more interest than most tracks) and "The Nightwalker" (also kinda classic).

"When It Was" is that modernized Jazz thing which I just... don't love. It's like jazzy R&B. Good on paper, some strong moments here and there, but overall I'll sit this out.

More exotic moments can be expected on "Harpoon", hearkening back to Return. More interesting rhythmically and melodically than most on the album. Definitely a highlight.

But that's about it. A lot of "just alright" in this one. I'm rounding up to a 3... Full transparency, I guess.

As the Brecker Bros. well deserve, we have a star-studded cast of performers on this'n! Most notably featured are Mike STERN on guitar, Dennis CHAMBERS and Don ALIAS on drums and percussion, respectively, and frequent Brecker collaborator David SANBORN (he strictly on track 2, "King of the Lobby").

Speaking on the aforementioned second track, we are presented with elements common to Fusion at this time (the mid-80s through the '90s), which to my ears really have not aged well altogether. At best, it's funky and fun. At worst, these sonic choices are hokey and plastic. Even with "King of the Lobby" as a fine example, it's a mix of both weaknesses and strengths. This implementation of Jazz into Funk and RnB shouldn't surprise listeners of earlier Brecker Bros. material. As a child of the '90s myself, I'm certainly not against it (I'm at least intrigued by Jazz Rap, for instance, but also I love to see Jazz anywhere it can thrive).

"Above and Beyond" is a definite must-hear. This is a lively, (speaking as a layman) samba-type jam. An excellent performance all around. It actually struck me as a predecessor to the now-classic epic "Lingus" by SNARKY PUPPY (if by some chance you are unfamiliar with this, the viral live performance off We Like It Here is Required Listening (and viewing)).

It's not a sure-fire highlight for this release, but the beautiful "Sozinho (Alone)" is a great showcase of the Brecker Bros. as individual performers. Helluva family, that one! haha. If people don't know them by now, that would be surprising.

Highlight Tracks: T1, T2, T4, T6, 59, T11

True Rate: 3.5/5.0

Third album from the BB, and one that took unashamedly the radio-friendly route, ranging from disco, to brassy funk to everything an Arista label band had to lower themselves to. Indeed, in the late 70's, Arista became responsible for the downgrade of excellent early 70's artistes that had to keep surviving and had to resort to signing a contract with them. Very few bands came unscathed from this disastrous passage through the label, and the BB didn't make an exception. The BB band didn't seem to have a stable line-up then and among the guests, we hear Steve Kahn (guitars), Lenny White and Steve Gadd (both drums), alongside the mainstays of Grolnick, Lee and McDonald and, of course, Michael and Randy.

Right from the first ugly disco beat of the opening Finger Lickin' Good and the title track opening the flipside, one can only think of an atrociously kitschy soul-funk-disco. Along the soppy side of their spectrum, we have As Long As I've Got Your Love or the no-less cheesy instrumental Petals provide romantic mood (both filled with string arrangements), but are not completely without merits. Indeed some instrumental tracks like Funky Sea or the album-longest instrumental Squids were highly enjoyable (if you like that sort of thing), but drowned in a sea of radio-friendly brassy soul-disco-funk crap that flooded the airwaves and the nightclubs. The closing lengthy Tabula Rasa again presents a fast funk-fusion where the brothers add a slight Spanish brassy touch.

Well the present album is not as bad as I would tend to make it appear, but it is mainly plagued by those two ugly binary disco crap tune, that automatically lessen the album's appeal, but the other two string-laden tracks do not help either. Still mildly interesting, but IMHO, not really worth the detour.

Indeed, there are ultra-clean mothering funks on the album, like the opening Skunk Funk or the following Sponge, or Rocks and DBB on the flipside, all of them with impressive techniques and virtuosity, but that also lack soul (which is kind of weird for funk music). Is it the fault that the production is too clean, too slick? Most likely, ' mon humble opinion. Don't get me wrong, there are some delightful moments on the album, but unfortunately, there is often something that doesn't click all that well for me. Even when their 100 MPH music does slow down like in the Many-Faced Creature, the feel is rather cold and slick, instead of suave and sweaty. The album's better tracks are conga-filled Twilight

On the flipside, five relatively shorter tracks, with only the opening Sneaking Up Behind You nearing 5 minutes, and I believe this was the 'hit' back then, and also the only sung track, with somewhat average and semi-scatting but still-catchy War-like vocals, laid over some strings synth layers. The following Rocks might have been renamed Funks, because that 150 MPH muze will certainly funk up with your brains, but maybe too much for your own good. The problem is that when BB really slows down, they tend to fall asleep and they're contagious, and the Levitate more or less Gravitates, and the following soppy and sappy sung My Stars really dropped shamelessly below the ground level, leaving DBB give a honest closing to the debut album.

Well theoretically, an instrumental JR/F album from the mid-70's should still please me, and in a way, it does. But there was such an over-production of these vinyl plaques during those years, that I'm simply never in need or feel to play any of BB's albums, outside maybe once in a decade their debut (and presently reviewed) album. So if indeed one must investigate the BB, starting with the first two albums is the best (and only, IMHO) place to start, because by their third album, BB were not much more than a technically brilliant AOR (read radio-friendly) band without much interest to the demanding fusionheads.

The playing on here is superb, Randy and Micheal both play with fierce aggression and high speed dexterity. As the album title suggests, they are attempting to merge the power of metal with the demanding technique of bop. Both Breckers also utilze the technology of the day to great effect as they supplement their horns with echoplexes, wah-wah pedals and chorus units. Another plus is the technical and high speed drumming technique of Terry Bozzio.

There are a couple of tunes on here that take a shot at something a little more subtle, 'Funky Sea, Funky Dew' starts off as a ballad before heading straight to a heavy funk jam, and 'Squids' has some nice Latin touches in the verse before it too succumbs to the adrenaline fueled energy.

This album was recorded and released right around the time that the brothers were playing in Frank Zappa's band (check out "Zappa In New York"). Zappa's drummer from those years, Terry Bozzio, appears in this album. And while there is little Zappa influence, there is some fine funky fusion.

East River, the only studio track on the album, starts things out. It's also the only track not written by either on the brothers. This song, by bassist Neil Jason (and others), is sort of like a more rocking Earth Wind & Wire song. It's not bad, but one of the weaker tracks on the album.

Inside Out sounds similar to the bluesy jamming that Jeff Beck was playing at the time, but with more horn solos. Some Skunk Funk is the best track on the album. This wild funk track features some of the best frenetic horn arrangements you will ever hear (I once heard an unusually talented punk band play this, it was weird, but great).

Sponge is a very simply written song, but contains some incredible solos, not just from the Breckers, but also guitarist Barry Finnerty. Funky Sea. Funky Dew is the slower song on the album, with a heavier break in the middle, and a fine sax solo at the end. Squids is another good, mid-tempo funky piece.

Be warned, there is no heavy metal on the album, even by seventies standards. Just quality funky jazz rock fusion. It's a little bit dated in sound, but still a fine album to own.