OCEANA

Right of the bat I must say that this is one of the strongest releases in 2011, it grabbed with the first listen. Derek proves that he is a real keyboard master and the guitar playing from Steve Lukather, Tony Macalpine and Joe Bonamassa is nothing but incredible. The bass playing is really livid and groovy on the album as well, the rhythm section does an outstanding job on the overall.

The compositions are fantastic in and of themselves too, they have a strong early Jeff Beck feel to them - fusiony yet very groovy. The music is not too focused on being prog, but the prog is all over the place - and it is done remarkably well. The songs are light, there's not much of a nod to metal at all on the album - but they are really energetic and pack a punch.

The only complaint of mine would be that there's too little keyboard spotlight on the album. But it doesn't diminish the listening enjoyment at all. The album has an overall energetic and light feel compared to some of his other work, and it's a truly fantastic release. Everyone should get it.

Best songs: Five Elements, Ghost Runner, El Camino Diablo, Oceana