SWEETNIGHTER

After many listens and much time spent, I just don't see how words such as genius, lightning-fast, or virtuosic can be used to describe this music. What Weather Report deliver here is a solid, fairly relaxing, and overall only moderately interesting album, nothing more, in my humble opinion.

Boogie Woogie Waltz, 125th Street Congress. First of all, what does Boogie Woogie Waltz have to do with a waltz? Am I missing an inside joke or reference? At any rate, it's a solid track, as is 125th Street Congress. Although many seem to view Boogie as the better tune, they both are essentially the same song to my ears: 10-plus minutes of a solid, funky, mid-tempo beat, with semi-random keyboard, horn, and bass grooves interspersed. There are no real melodies (sans the end of Boogie), no time-signature, key, or tempo changes, and no lyrics. Don't get me wrong--this is great music to chill to, but there's nothing especially progressive, and unfortunately (maybe only for me) it ultimately fails to transport me to new musical worlds.

Manolete, Adios, Will, Non-Stop Home. These songs are also far from irritating, but mostly fail to distinguish themselves. There are highlights, such as the build in Manolete, the soothing harmonies on Adios, the textured key and bass on Will, and the quasi-freaky Non-Stop Home. However, unless you're in a mellow mood, they aren't likely to be what you're looking for.

Minimalist would be a decent way to describe Sweetnighter. There certainly is good texture throughout, especially in the keys and bass. Unfortunately, there is little structure and virtuosic playing (or anything even close, really), which means that for me, this music is only good to have on in the background.