ROMANTIC WARRIOR

Great jazz/fusion album. All four members of Return to Forever are quite talented, and they do seem to enjoy showing that off, but I don't mind. The musicianship is fantastic throughout, and there is not a weak song on this album, though I don't think I would go so far as to call it a masterpiece. The songs are all, like the genre states, fusions of jazz and rock, and this one seems to lean further towards the rock side than a lot of the jazz-rock bands, and features a typical rock line up of guitar, bass, drums, and keys, and lacks the horn section common in much jazz. The music is very technical, probably to the point of what a lot of people would say lacking emotion. Don't go into listening to this expecting a great emotional revelation, but it is just fun music to listen to. The musicians are all obviously having a good time making these songs and the listener should as well. I think the highlights of this album tend to be the longer tracks, as my favourites are The Romantic Warrior and Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant.