With plenty of friends in tow, Tony Levin’s latest solo album is a blending of sounds, styles, and atmospheres. You have a variety of drummers such as Steve Gadd, Vinnie Colaiuta, Mike Portnoy, and you know that bass/drum connection is strong. Levin has his own identity and style, his lines in the title track pop, and impressive licks on “Uncle Funkster” make you appreciate just how good he is, completely locked in with Vinnie Colaiuta. He’s also about variety, you get the rocking “Road Dogs”, horns on a number of tracks, and how about a barbershop quartet vocals in “Side B / Turn it Over”, or the drummer name drops during “On The Drums”. There are missteps along the way; vocals and talking take the air out of “Boston Rocks”, “Five Cross the Sky” and “Give the Cello Some”. I understand this is Tony just having fun, showing a sense of humor, but I don’t enjoy it and they make the songs instant skips for me. That’s really too bad considering how great the groove is for “Boston Rocks”. The second half of the album is more experimental, but for me kind of goes off the rails.
It’s always great to hear Levin’s playing, and there are many interesting moments and some good tunes. It also makes perfect sense for an artist to explore and experiment, but too many moments fall flat for me, and I don’t see myself being drawn back in for repeat listens.
Track List:
1. Bringing it Down to the Bass
2. Me and My Axe
3. Road Dogs
4. Uncle Funkster
5. Boston Rocks
6. Espressoville
7. Give the Cello Some
8. Side B / Turn it Over
9. Beyond the Bass Clef
10. Bungle Bass
11. Fire Cross the Sky
12. Floating in Dark Waters
13. On the Drums
14. Coda
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