INDUSTRY STANDARD

This was, sadly, the last of the original Dixie Dregs album (or by then, just The Dregs). Allen Sloan had left the band to pursue a career in medicine, and was replaved by the very capable Mark O'Connor. The album is very much like all of the previous Dixie Dregs albums, with a mixture of high flying fusion, classically influences pieces, country rock, and blue grass.

My favorite pieces are the ones where bassist Andy West gets to kick it into high gear. Assembly Line, the opening piece, is just that. Bloodsucking Leeches has cool bass played in unison with the rest of the band.

Crank It Up has some nice passages, but the band made the mistake of adding some generic arena-rock vocalists, which brings the song down. Ridin High reminds me of the Kansas album "Power", which Steve Morse appeared on. There are some nice breaks, but the vocal sections are sort of mundane for this band.

The obligatory bluegrass song, Where's Dixie? is okay, but I prefer the breakneck breakdowns on some of the previous albums.

And there is a special appearance by Steve Howe, playing along with Steve Morse on the classically based Up In The Air. That's worth hearing.

While this album is very good, it's not as good as the earlier Dixie Dregs releases.