DIAMOND HEAD

Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera delivers the goods on his 1975 solo debut. Leading off with the uptempo, sublime "Frontera" (sung with disconnected glee in Spanish by Robert Wyatt), and ending with the Latin-meets-glam of "Carhumba", the listener is swept away by glorious, feel-good washes of sound. " Big Day" is a great glampop track that could have been a Roxy outtake. "Same Time Next Week" offers a humorous and fun male/female duet with a great understated Manz guitar solo at the end. "Miss Shapiro" "East of Echo" and "Alma" give the band ample room to flex its sonic muscles. This album is likely to appeal to a great deal of prog fans due to the presence of Wyatt, Eno, Wetton, as well as cohorts from Quiet Sun. Manzanera and all the musicians use their instrument to great effect on every tune. A great way to introduce the AOR "classic rock" fan to the world of classic prog.