RHYTHM OF TIME

I was impressed after reading about the process Jordan underwent writing this album. Faced with a demanding tour schedule with Dream Theater, He decided to lock himself in his home studio for 2 weeks and have his meals brought to him. The results are simply admirable. There can be no doubt about it, Jordan is a true prodigy, a virtuoso of the highest caliber. Known for his phenomenal talent as part of an ensemble, he flatly proves that his composition skills are every bit on par with his playing.

While not a perfect album by any means. Select tracks are gleaming examples of what can be done with instrumental music. The opener, Time Crunch, is a hard hitting cooker that makes you drive faster and not realize it. While Insectsamongus strikes me as a track that would be on Hot Rats, if Zappa had done the album in present day. The slower tracks on the album leave much to be desired, however, and several parts become overbearing and redundant (as with virtually any musicians solo album). But all in all, the effort is more diverse and interesting than your average guitar virtuoso solo piece.

A three star rating is appropriate for this disc because it is well overshadowed by his work in Dream Theater and Liquid Tension Experiment. However, it will surely be a gem to the modern heavy prog fan.