LISTEN NOW

801 could pass for a weak ALAN PARSONS PROJECT album. While a few of the tracks have interesting motifs - "Listen Now" and "City of Lights" among them, they overstay their welcome particularly with respect to the monotonous funky rhythms. The cast is not at fault, but the compositions are weak, the mood is lackadaisical, and the arrangements stall on one or two simplistic ideas. The main exception is the jazzy "Initial Speed" instrumental, which flows in the manner of some of the better tracks on Camel's "Rain Dances", and playfully tosses in contributions from the renowned supporting artists. I admit to a weakness for "Law and Order", which is more poppy but with a dash of dystopian paranoia, Ultimately, "Listen Now" doesn't bring enough to the table to warrant consideration except for fans of Manzanera and/or one or more of the session artists, which, on second look, cover just about everyone here. 2.5 stars rounded down