HEARTWARE

I don't know why this hasn't been rated before, maybe because no ones heard it, I certainly hadn't until recently (2006).

I'd heard some of his solo stuff before, notably Profile and must admit I found it a bit take it or leave it. Not so with this album all I can say is that it's absolutely superb a calypso beat mixed with some fabulous guitar playing.

If any of you thought as I did that "Love remembered" from Focus 3 was Focus's best work, just listen to "Prima donna" on this album. Words can't descibe.

I guess my co-reviewer mixed this album up with its follow-up since the track "Prima Donna" he mentioned is on that one and not here. This one here in fact is like most of Akkerman's later releases absolutely unrelevant for Prog. It's rather quite boring jazz fusion typical for 80's and to call it Muzak wouldn't be a description too far off. Don't get me wrong, not that Jan Akkerman wouldn't present some excellent guitar work (acoustic and electric) here but these compositions aren't anything beyond nice easy-listening music. Thus to be rated "only for completionists" = 1 star!!

There's a limited edition of the album which features the song Prima Donna. It was sold during the 1988 German-tour and has a limit of only 1000 copies. I don't own that special version, but it exists. No record company was willing to release Heartware, so he had to release it by himself. The album is featuring his new drummer for years Ton Dijkman, but it is a less interesting Akker-record. My Pleasure is nothing more as a new version of Beethoven's Revenge, from the '85 Focus album. It's kept shorter this time and less boring. Just Because,So is a remake of Just Because from the Can't Stand Noise album. In both cases you can call it elevator-music. Lost and Found is the most inspired track on Heartware; good solos and a treatment for the ears. In fact it's one of his better songs ever. You can describe the remaining tracks as soundtrack music without a movie, or maybe also elevator-music. However, Firenze is a nice acoustic track and it's worth to spend your precious time on it.