DOO-BOP

This album is great! The last Miles Davis album. Coincidentally, It shows how truly he was ahead of his time. If you were to put this album on and I didn't know what it was, I would think it was made maybe in the last 6-8 years. Nay, this album came out in 1991. It's Miles Davis' attempt at acid jazz/hip hop and it is amazing!

The first track Mystery has this quality I feel in modern jazz-rock, acid jazz, and funk. The groove is nice and Miles plays some cool lines. It's like a combination of his earlier late 50s albums with his new direction. It then goes into The Doo Bop Song which is really good and has a cool chorus. I like a little rap, so this song is alright. The beat is good, and the rappers are not the main focus. Only this 2 other songs have any rap.

The next 2 tracks are 2 of the best tracks. Chocolate Chip is very funky and Miles' playing is very nice here. The bass lays it down everywhere.

Next track will make you want to jump in a car and drive very fast, I kid you not. High Speed Chase may be one of the best Miles Davis songs ever. You have to hear this song.

Blow is good. More hip hop on this one. Miles plays a great solo. Did I mention they're everywhere and are all great? Well, anyway, the next track is great. Sonya sounds a bit dated because of the drum sounds, but is still an alright song. The electric piano towards the end is nice, I like it.

Fantasy and Duke Booty are funky as hell. Fantasy has some rap but only for a little bit. Then Miles plays another good solo. Duke Booty is a lot better with a great groove going on. Miles being very funky. Excellent.

It ends with the Mystery Reprise. A culmination on everything you've heard. Giving the album a proggy feel for no reason. The original theme of Mystery comes back the groove returns. Another great Miles Davis solo. It really is a great way to end the album.

This album isn't really prog in the strictest sense, only a moment or 3 of anything. However, the music is very progressive, as Miles always tried to be. I see it as a fitting ending to a career that lasted over half a century. It makes sense, and I could see why he would take this direction after all the music he had made, and you have to remember what was going on back then. We'll never know where we would have taken this, but he never stopped advancing.

If you're open minded and not exclusively looking for prog but just great music, pick up this album. I can't really call it a masterpiece but it is definitely progressive. I give it 4 stars because it's a great album and very underrated. Not a good first album to start with but once you're familiar, especially with a few of the 80's albums, check this one out.