SUN CITY

There was some discussion recently in the Forum regarding vocals in jazz-fusion. Generally, it was widely concluded that the good pieces, though rare, stood out as one- shots, and the rest (Hello Phil) were horrid. Some songs by Brand X and Lifetime are regarded as little more than lame attempts at achieving radio airplay. However, one group managed to, over the course of evolving through four albums, write catchy tunes while still surfing atop an ocean fusionesque.

Nova was that exception and their album, Sun City, is one hell of a swansong. It is the last and least instrumental of Nova's tiny list of albums. Powerful Bass, and a wall of keyboards buttresswed by a celestial stream of saxophone, propel Corrado Rustici's quasi-spiritual lyrics and scale-defying guitar.

Modern Living is the highlight song, and it is one of the greatest tracks of seventies fusion. Illusion is also a standout, but the entire record bears listening if one has an ear for the likes of Santana or Mahavishnu during the same time period.

While not quite as memorable as the previous effort Wings of Love, Sun City gets a solid recommendation from this corner, and it holds its own when measured against its contemporaries.