LEB I SOL

I've been waiting a long time to write reviews of this Macedonian band's albums even though I felt an immediate attraction to and affinity for their music when I first discovered them sox months ago.

1. "Devetka" (4:30) opening with guitarist Vlatko Stefanovski introducing the song's main melody a couple of times with minimal support from the rest of the band before he pauses a little to allow the rhythmatists to establish the main weave. When Vlatko starts back up he has the support of a funky weave from bassist Bodan Arsovski, drummer Garabet Tavitijan, and keyboardist Nikola Dimusevski who is multi-tasking with both clavinet and Fender Rhodes. Sadly, the song is faded out after only four minutes: it feels as if they're just getting started! Also, too bad the drums are mixed into the background. (9/10)

2. "Pod vodom" (4:58) a fast-movin' romp with some high speed Mahavishnu Orchestra/RTF-like soloing being traded between Vlatko and Nikola's MiniMoog. The funky bass is steady and in tandem with Nikola's supportive Fender Rhodes chords while the drums seem buried in the mix--given no electric boost. Still, very impressive musicianship. (9.25/10)

3. "Utrinska tema" (3:20) a gentler song that is set up to fully support Vlatko's plaintive Stevie Wonder-like vocal. At 2:15 a Carole King piano riff establishes the base for some fiery electric guitar soloing, which, again, sadly, is faded out rather than let play. (8.75/10)

4. "Kokoska" (5:00) opening with a show of drumming skill, Garabet gets much more notice when the other instruments are not present to drown him back into the background, but he's no Billy Cobham or Tony Williams. The rest of the band begins to make themselves known after about 90 seconds, establishing a poppy, almost-Disco jam before actually going Disco from the 2:30 mark on. The back-and-forth bounce between Garabet's two-step drum pattern and Nikola's clavinet support the fiery display of Vlatko's electric guitar, which leads the band through several sytlistic shifts before coming to a clean ending. Impressive play though not my favorite kind of song. (8.75/10)

5. "Nisam tvoj" (3:20) another watered down piece for the support of a pretty vocal performance (with some very nice harmony work from the background vocalists), there is a little keyboard soloing in the spaces between Vlatko's verses but otherwise this is not really a song meant to impress the jazz, rock, or jazz-rock fusion communities. (8.5/10)

6. "U senci" (3:44) an instrumental that plays out more like a hard-charging rock song despite its occasional Weather Report-like jazz sound palette. The drum and bass play here is two rudimentary though Garrabet's fills are impressive. (8.66667/10)

7. "Cudo za tri dana" (2:50) another simple song construct set up to support a vocal. I must admit that Vlatko's voice is very pleasant. He also has a gift for choosing melodies that are "Western" enough to easily pass through my nervous system, that is, to not sing in musical scales and melodies more typical to his native people's musical traditions. (8.75/10)

8. "Pesma o sonji H..." (5:09) a gentle Smooth Jazz instrumental that feels like something out of the Weather Report wheelhouse. Uncredited pan flute (or perhaps its just a keyboard), acoustic piano, and gentle jazz electric guitar lead the way in establishing the gentle melodies over the simple and spacious rhythm track. Nice but nothing to write home about. (8.666667/10)

9. "Damar" (3:28) Upbeat Smooth Jazz that sounds like The Allman Brothers joining forces with The Crusaders. Once again I hear impressive performances from the guitar and keyboards built over fairly rudimentary rhythm lines. (8.75/10)

Total Time: 36:16

After listening to this album a couple of times I remain unconvinced that Leb I Sol's drummer and bass player are in the same league as Nikola Dimusevski and Vlatko Stefanovski. What these two might be capable of with a rhythm section of true virtuosi.

B-/3.5 stars; an excellent display of Jazz-Rock Fusion's transition from its Third to Fourth Waves: the move from skillful fire and funky brimstone into the radio-friendly pop melody making of Smooth Jazz. I so want to rate this album full of beauty and joy with a full four stars but I'm not sure it really deserves to be in the same league as those who are there.