* Gentle Hearts by Greg Howe, Tetsuo Sakurai, Dennis Chambers – I Guessed a Winner, But…

This album does have some decent chops, and is not a total loss.  However, I recommend that folks look elsewhere, as there are a gazillion albums with decent chops (more than one could hope to digest in a lifetime).  Usually, both Greg Howe and Dennis Chambers are artists that never fail to produce greatness, but the album only has one song that is good, while it has several songs that range from mediocre to terrible.  Thus, since there is so much else out there that is good, I advise overlooking this one.

**** Freedom to Fly by Tony MacAlpine – Great Album from a Guitarist that was Virtually Unrecognized

Tony MacAlpine is one the great success stories of the guitar virtuoso movement.  He made his way to the top the hard way, by releasing album after album of solid great music, even when largely going unnoticed, except for a few small elite listeners.  His story has been a story of determination.  This is one of those albums that helped MacAlpine prove himself, and if you listen to his music, you’ll know that at every stage of his game, he has been better than his white skinned “virtuoso” peers that have raked in the big bucks.

I picked up on Tony MacAlpine around the year 2000 when he joined up with Planet X.  By then, Tony MacAlpine had already released several great albums, the best of which is probably Maximum Security.  I got to know Planet X, because I was a fan of their previous keyboardist, Derek Sherinian, whom I should also say has put out many outstanding solo albums.

**** Black Market by Weather Report – One of Those Great Albums that Will Always Sound Fresh

Weather Report is a pioneering jazz rock fusion album.  It was released before anyone knew what they were doing.  It was a totally different style of jazz.  Many people were angry about it because they saw rock n’ roll as a sellout genre that could only be simple.  Let me tell you something; this album ain’t simple.  However, the greater question that should be answered is whether or not the album delivers.  Compared to some of the later efforts of musicians that played on this album, I would say that overtime the sounds got more refined, and often better.

Black Market sounds like a bunch accomplished musician’s trying to prove themselves.  Wait a minute, that sounds like a contradiction, but it is true.  What Black Market lacks is the jelly jam to hold together the fruit.

Nevertheless, the music on the album is still of superior quality, when compared to the alternative, which would have been staying on course with the jazz swing oblivion where the music never gets better, and most of everything that is worth playing is already recorded.

A definite plus to this album, is that there will probably never come a time when its audience can’t say, that sounds like it was released, yesterday.

***** Land of the Midnight Sun by Al di Meola- Definitely Add This Hard Jazz Rocker to Your Collection

When I got Land of the Midnight Sun, the main thing I wanted to know was whether or not it was on par with Al di Meola’s other classic albums I own, particularly, Hotel Splendido, Elegant Gypsy and Casino.  I was not in the slightest way disappointed.  Land of the Midnight Sun is as great as these three primary records that are recommended for purchase, especially if you are interested in jazz guitar.  In fact, the style is not really distinguishable from the other three, as all four of these album make one think of blazing fast Spanish jazz rock fusion.

I’ll go so far as saying that Land of the Midnight Sun is more solid straight through, but lacks a majorly outstanding track or two - think Race with the Devil on a Spanish Highway -, which is why I think this album failed to get heavy entries in the “This Is  Jazz,” series of sampling of great songs from the most important jazz musicians.

In fact, based upon the tracks from this one that are in the “This Is Jazz” collection, it would appear that they don’t represent the totality of Land of the Midnight Sun to the point of deception.  This album by itself is better than the This Is Jazz compilation entry for Al di Meola.  However, there are no weak tracks on Land of the Midnight Sun.  So, I would urge the potential buyer.  Don’t buy something from the This Is Jazz collection, but pick up one of the big 4, such as Land of the Midnight Sun.  I guarantee you that you will not be disappointed by going this way.

Perhaps, the greatest reason I give this album praise, is that I think it’s Al di Meola’s hardest rocker, but I can’t honestly say I know that yet, especially since I haven’t heard all of his albums, which are many.

Perhaps, the thing I like most about Al di Meola is that practically anyone is going to enjoy much of his work.  I’ll call Casino, Elegant Gypsy, Hotel Splendido, and Land of the Midnight Sun the big 4, especially if you want to rock out and have a martini, and use this as background music.  I, myself, am feeling like having a tequila sunrise about now and head to the beach, and scope some full bodied Spanish women out!  It hasn’t gotten to cold just yet!

*** Tour de Force by Al di Meola– Reworked/Remixed Classics With Clapping in the Background

Tour de Force should be thought of as secondary to the major Al di Meola albums.  Really, this album seems to be more for an Al di Meola buff, rather than someone who wants to collect great music.  So, what’s the problem?  The problem is that this is not new material.  It is reworked material with clapping in the background.  It doesn’t add much, and frankly, clapping is boring to listen to.  Clapping might as well be random static.  Really, only in rare cases am I a big fan of clapping.  For example, I really like the way the crowd is mixed in on Iron Maiden’s live album, A Real Live, so it not that I can say that I simply detest all live albums.

The other fact is, since these are some of Meola’s best songs, I had already heard them many, many times by the time I picked up Tour de Force.  Really, Meola’s catalog is more dense than he would have you think when listening to Tour de Force.  However, Tour de Force is a great way to get sick of the same old same old goodies, rather than unearthing some of his real treasures, such as the openers to Land of the Midnight Sun.

*** Chasing Time by Fates Warning – Don’t Like The First Few Tracks? That’s okay! Listen on.

Fates Warning has been ruminating around for decades as a lesser progressive rock/metal band.  In that sense, that are much like King’s X.  Today that means they could open for an arena rock bank, but that they probably aren’t popular to tour enough by themselves, especially not arenas. 

Chasing Time doesn’t really get moving until track 4.  Many of their riffs are atonal, and do not mix well with the vocals.  Frankly, sometimes  it sounds to me like their guitarist had no material ready for the album so he just steps on the distortion pedal and precedes to first thing that comes to mind, rather than crafting a song.  Later in their career, however, that changed.

**** Coast to Coast by Steve Morse – Was a Totally Awesome Free Gift From a Guitar Teacher

When one of my guitar teachers during my collegiate times at Rutgers was converting from being a progressive rock buff to a jazz student, I was coming to him as a guitar student that was left handed and needed to work on my right hand.  Though, I am thankful for that gift, it amazes me to this day how one could view an album like Coast to Coast as anything but totally awesome, or of less quality than jazz.  In my opinion, be it progressive rock, progressive metal, rock fusion or even straight jazz, I do not see one of these genres as inherently better than the others.

I have to recognize that an album like this one would fill only a small niche in music these days because it is totally instrumental.  Most regular folks without any experience from a music teacher rarely head for music without a vocalist.  However, speaking from my own personal stance, many of my most favorite albums are all instrumental, meaning that they have no vocalist.

In fact, this music is so original sounding to me, it sounds like it could be called progressive instrumental country, but despite my own inability to describe this album, it is really good.  One thing you may expect, and be disappointed or elated by is that Coast to Coast is that it will feature the Steve Morse, while the rest of the band is poor background noise, as in the case of the Joe Satriani band.  That is not the case with the band, Steve Morse.  The only band I know that sounds like it is Steve Morse’s other band, the Dixie Dregs.