ROMANTIC WARRIOR

While this is a very good album from a very talented band that includes Stanley Clarke, one of my bass idols, it moves between cheesiness and brilliance too many times. There are moments on this album that are absolutely brilliant, but either Corea or Meola will throw in cheesy tones that completely kill the moment. Sorceress is a prime example of that. There are times when the song sounds like a crappy demo song for an effects pedalboard advertisement and other times, specifically Corea's solo, where it soars as high as any of the band's other brilliant work. I am constantly amazed by Stanley Clarke's bass chops; he can go straight from being in the background supporting the groove to riffing light speed bass solos in the blink of an eye. The best tracks, in my opinion, are Medeival Overture, The Romantic Warrior, which unfortunately has as drawn out an ending as The Return of the King movie, and Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant. The other three tracks contain great moments, but they err a little too much on the cheesy side for me.