SCHOOL DAYS

This just doesn't measure up to Stanley's self titled album in my opinion. It seems to be all over the place, maybe because he doesn't have a set lineup like on his self titled record, I don't know. On this one we get a different lineup for every track. 3 different guitarists, 3 different drummers, 2 different keyboardists. I think it boils down to the songs not being nearly as good for some reason, except for the last one.

"School Days" is a pretty good bass led track. Funky with prominant guitar from Raymond Gomez throughout. Gerry Brown does a good job on the drums, my favourite part of this song. "Quiet Afternoon" is light and easy as the song title suggests. Not a fan of this one. "The Dancer" has this "island" beat and flavour to it. It's party time ! A fun track with a catchy beat but it does little for me.

"Desert Song" has Stanley using a bow on his bass to sound like a mournful violin while John McLaughlin plays acoustic guitar. It's ok. "Hot Fun" is uptempo with a strings and brass section while Stanley growls on his bass. "Life Is Just A Game" would have fit well on his self titled album.The final and longest song on here,and my favourite by far. Billy Cobham impresses me to no end on this one while George Duke does a great job on keyboards. Icarus Johnson also offers up some killer guitar. Just an amazing tune.

So yeah a good album but not worth 4 stars.