MAGIC

Being a drummer and a fan of jazz fusion, Billy Cobham always has something to offer for me. This isn't my favourite Cobham album by any means, but it still has some excellent stuff to offer. Released fairly far on into Cobham's solo career, the albums texture relies a lot less on the drums themselves as it did on his previous works, which I find a little dissapointing, but none the less it is good musicianship, especially on the album epic. The only track that i would describe as bad is the totally bizarre Puffnstuff which has bizarre vocals and doesn't really go anywhere musical. From a percussion point of view, my favourite track on the album is The Star, which is exactly the kind of drumming which makes Billy Cobham better than most, combining true skill with accessibility (a hard task for even the most skilled drummers). A good enough album, but I wouldn't get it as a starter. 3.5 stars.