San Francisco's Garaj Mahal are back with their second studio album Blueberry Cave, the follow-up to the wonderful Mondo Garage. The bands mix of progressive rock, jazz-fusion, funk, and jam-band styles makes for a unique sound, and if you have ever seen the band live or listened to any of their live CD's, you know they can really cook. While their studio output has so far been really strong, this band still comes across as one whose real personality comes across in a live environment (OK, I guess I'm telling you to make sure you check out the live CD's!), but let's get on to the new release shall we?
Opening up with the energetic fusion/funk romp "The Shadow", the band get to flex their instrumental prowess with a very 70's flair. Keyboard player Eric Levy lays down plenty of Fender Rhodes electric piano sounds, and bassist Kai Eckhardt pumps out some funky grooves as well as scat vocals. The guitar work of Fareed Haque as always has that John McLaughlin/Larry Coryell feel, giving the whole track a very classic fusion sound. The blues combines with some groovy funk on the laid back "Alvin", a steaming number just dripping with pulsating organ, tasty jazz guitar runs, nimble bass lines, and solid drum work from Alan Hertz. On the title track, the band digs into their progressive rock bag for some magical and complex arrangements, sounding like a strange hybrid of Weather Report and The Dixie Dregs. Eckhardt's lead bass lines are amazing here, supported nicely by the electric piano washes from Levy. Midway through the piece Levy and Haque get into a furious duel that sounds like a long lost outtake from the John McLaughlin/Jan Hammer era of the Mahavishnu Orchestra.
After the jaw dropping effect that the first three tracks had on me, the sitar drenched Rap tune " Spect Rap"and the expletive filled funk of "No 'Spect" left me wondering if I was listening to the same band. I guess this type of material was not what I would expect from this band. "Massive" is a smooth mix of acoustic and electric jazz, while "Cosmic Elevator" sees the band going for a Parliament type funk sound with some deep grooves and plenty of vocals. The band gets back on their 70's fusion horse with "Paladin", a fast moving tune with great electric piano from Levy and a rock solid rhythm section, plus a smooth George Benson-ish solo from Haque. After the brief mix of Hip Hop and fusion on "Bicycling in Bombay", the band goes back to some melodic and majestic prog sounds for "Celtic Indian". Hertz gets in some nimble and funky backbeats on this one, with Levy's keys and Haque's guitar weaving some fiery unison lines around each other.
Garaj Mahal have once again shown that they can be one of the most potent fusion bands on the planet. Their compositional skills and instrumental talents are extraordinary, and their ability to stretch out live has endeared them to the jam crowd as well as the fusion fans. I'm not sure if their dabbling into the world of Rap and Hip Hop is just an experiment here or if there is more to come, but regardless, there's plenty of top notch instrumental fire on Blueberry Cave to savor till they decide to hit the studio once again.
Track Listing
1. Shadow
2. Alvin
3. Blueberry Cave
4. 'Spect Rap
5. No 'Spect
6. Massive
7. Cosmic Elevator
8. Paladin
9. Bicycling in Bombay
10. Celtic Indian
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