STANLEY CLARKE

On "Children of Forever", Clarke has yet to mature to define his trademark sound and bring compositions of higher quality. It's more funky, grooving and much less keyboard oriented than on the Return to Forever albums. The rhythm section is often in the foreground while guitar and keyboards follow which does not mean that we don't have enough moments with fiery guitar and keyboard in the spotlight like at the end of the first track. "Lopsy Lu" is a typical slap bass-driven number with more than average complex drum fill-ins while "Power" has a killing bass "riff" with pulsating typical Hammer solo, later comes Bill Connors with his arsenal. The acoustic "Spanish Phases..." is an acquired taste, it\s too limited by having bass taking the entire front stage. The "Life Suite" is one of the several Clarke's 70's suites which were always the highlights of his albums. The Pt.2 is a stunning fusion dynamite with all 5 musicians pulsalting like a 5-valve engine. I like the acoustic counterpart of the Pt.1 and Pt.3. The last Pt.4 evolves around simple bass power-riff with guitar and keyboards filling the soloing space.