BEFORE I FORGET

And it’s not that Lord plays badly, because I don’t think I’ve ever actually heard him do that. It’s just that this is the sort of music that is more reminiscent of his Whitesnake days than it is of Deep Purple or even his classical solo work.

The opening “Chance on a Feeling” sets the wrong mood by offering up a pretty bland AOR number that would have been better-placed on an eighties Bob Seger album than here. The same goes for “Hollywood Rock and Roll”, including the title now that I think about it, while “Going Home” at the end of the record has a similar organ riff and feel as “Chance on a Feeling” but without the vocals.

“Tender Babes” offers some solo organ bits from Lord, but the title is rather misleading as there is nothing tender about this AOR rocker.

“Bach on to This” is more in keeping with Lord’s talents, a sweeping organ instrumental based on Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor” and one that shows why so many keyboardists name Lord among their biggest influences. This and the chamber-like “Before I Forget” and “Burntwood” are the only pieces that save this record.

Vicki Brown offers a soft Motown-tinged vocal interpretation on “Say Its All Right” that would have sounded great on a Whitney Houston album, but not here. And the Joe Cocker imitation from Elmer Gantry on “Where Are You?” falls into a male version of the same category.

Finally “Pavane” is a decent enough piano and organ solo, but fails to stir anything close to the kind of passion that Lord’s best work does. Nice keyboards, but a song that thousands of pianists could have done just as easily.

The best thing about this album is that is can be picked up cheaply. The worst thing is that there’s a reason for that. Jon Lord remains one of the preeminent keyboardists in music today, especially progressive and rock music. But he’s always been uneven in the choices he makes for recordings, and this one sits toward the bottom of that list. Two stars for the Bach number and “Burntwood”, but not recommended for anyone but his closest fans.

peace

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