THE THUNDERTHIEF

While Zooma showed us how good John Paul Jones can be on his own The Thunderthief introduced some of his flaws as a solo artist. Although instrumentally it's still a great album the quality of lyrics and vocals bring it down just a bit for me.

It's great that Jones Paul Jones pushes things forward by trying new ideas but I believe that he should instead improve on the things he is good at and not try to succeed where other artists can do a much better job with less effort.

Having said that I still consider this release to be highly enjoyable and overall it's a great successor to Zooma. Jones increased the ante by exchanging Trey Gunn's Crimsonesque guitar solos with the real deal. Yes, I'm talking about the legendary Robert Fripp performing on an ex-Led Zeppelin members solo album. The whole concept just blows my mind especially considering what an amazing performance Mr.Fripp gives on Leafy Meadows!

The Thunderthief might not be the follow-up I way expecting from John Paul Jones but it's great to know that he can still surprise the listeners and it's truly a pity that Jones still haven't released a follow-up to this album.

***** star songs: Leafy Meadows (5:10) Daphne (4:50) Shibuya Bop (5:56)

**** star songs: Hoediddle (7:00) Ice Fishing At Night (4:31) Down To The River To Pray (4:17)

*** star songs: The Thunderthief (5:58) Angry Angry (5:54) Freedom Song (2:37)