CHAD WACKERMAN

I am a seriously dedicated fusion guitar fan and when you follow the greats, you will find Wackerman drumming on many a super jazz fusion release. And how's the axe-work on Scream? Oh yeah, it is superb. James Muller is tight, fluid, innovative, and by the way -- shhh . . . he sounds like that Holdsworth guy. Best many of those great melody, solo, and unison lines in Scream feature excellent vibes by Daryl Pratt. It all works just right.

Oddly enough, this Wackerman release sounds a great deal like vibe-guru, Ed Mann, is back doing that Get Up thing with a new guitarist. Grab that hard-to-find CMP label release and you too will hear what I mean. I loved Mann's vibe-rich grooves and fusiony Zappa-esque tunes on that 80's release so . . . Wackerman has resurrected a great memory and breathed new life into it. Guess what? Wackerman played drums on Mann's release. And furthermore, both Mann and Wackerman gigged with the ever-evolving Zappa troupe. Ever notice how great musicians all jammed with either Frank Zappa or Miles Davis in their early careers?

Well, everyone does a fine job of pulling off quality fusion and I am glad to have this one in my collection. Recommended.

In other words, skilfully delivered, boring material bordering on irritating. It's hard to tell if it's a WACKERMAN, or HOLDSWORTH album, but it's fair to say that both of these excellent musicians delivered much better lines in the employ of others. ZAPPA, PONTY, SOFT MACHINE, NUCLEUS springs to mind On their own, both appear to be directionless, sort of lost.

Add HOLDSWORTH's bassist JIMMY JOHNSON who excels in playing his predictable "ta-ta- bup-bup" lines until you bleed from the ears. Alternately, his meandering approach is something that relegated some HOLDSWORT albums rather lame an uneventful.

The additional musicians provide a little more interest, but not enough to lift the game beyond mediocre overall.

I had this CD since the year of it's release, but today is the day that I've decided to let it go for good, as musically it (still) represents of little enjoyment. One of those things that just refuse to grow, or mature with time.

Wackerman here is developing his own style. Where his first album sounded mostly like a Holdsworth album, this time the tracks are more rhythmically centered, with Wackerman's exceptional drums more in the forefront. The songs are more melodic, and easier to follow, and the addition of Fowler's horns add some depth.

For Zappa fans, the track All Sevens has a rhythm and solo section that sounds very much like The Purple Lagoon. It also adds to that feeling when Fowler plays his solo on a harmonized horn (as Randy Brecker did on "Zappa In New York").

If you are expecting Zappa-like music from this long time veteran of Frank's touring band, you may not like this. If you are looking for excellent drumming and top notch fusion, you should be quite happy. On this, Wackerman's first solo album, he enlisted Allan Holdsworth, with whom he has appeared on more than a few releases, as well as Holdsworth's bassist, Jimmy Johnson, plus a keyboardist named Jim Cox. Not surprisingly, the album sounds very much like a Holdsworth album. In fact, the majority of songs, even the ones that Holdsworth is not one of the credited composers, sound very much like Holdsworth tunes.

Being a big Holdsworth fan, I love the album. Aside from that, there are a few songs where Wackerman obviously composed the pieces around his drum riffs, to a nice effect. Fearless, which has a bit of a similar feel as Bruford's Five Percent For Nothing, and Waltzing On Jupiter both fall into this category.

This is an excellent piece of fine fusion for Holdsworth fans and more.