FREE FALL

Unlike What If, which is a deliciously eclectic mix of different styles, Free Fall falls more into a straightforward hybrid of boogie and funk, with a nice dose of rock filtered through as well. It's probably quasi-progressive at best, but that's no reason to miss out on it!

I wanted to review this album mainly for my two favorite Dregs tracks: Refried Funky Chicken and Cruise Control. In Funky Chicken, the band has cranked the funkometer to max capacity and let it rip. Great slap bass, catchy herky-jerky drumming, and plenty of itchy picking from Morse on guitar, all set to infectiously catchy melody. There are days when I can't get it out of my head--which of course might deter some proggers. Cruise Control really kicks the tempo up with a great rock progression, and then slows down for prog time, with a crazy double-time solo on drums, some Brian May-style guitar harmonies, and then a spastic back-and-forth between the guitar, keys, bass and violin while Rod goes bonkers on the drums, before concluding with the familiar verse. If you can't tell, I like it a lot! It perhaps occupies a similar space to Hocus Pocus by Focus, to provide a very imperfect reference point.

So, some killer songs to keep for the ages, and plenty of other good music to go around (I also like the title track, with some funky electric violin thrown in there). There's only one Dixie Dregs, and it's always nice to have some of their stuff around for some good rock with little southern touch.