WAY OF THE SUN

Way of the Sun is by far the most accessible of all the Island recordings while still remaining all instrumental. The closest comparison I can think for it is not actually any of Jade Warrior's previous albums, but perhaps some of the more Jazz-Rock Fusion styles of Santana. The duo of Jon Field and Tony Duhig elicited the services of the South American group Gonzales and Dick Cuthell, a reggae artist. At first these choices may seem strange but the focus of this album is very different from anything else they had ever released. The key to Jade Warrior is to always expect the unexpected and be prepared for the next sudden turn. The idea behind this album is to depict the life of an imaginary Meso-American/Egyptian culture. The builders of Teotihuacán, precursors to the Aztecs in central Mexico, the Mayans, and the Egyptians of course, all built pyramids and worship of the sun was critical to their cultures. While the style of the music here is not necessarily Latin, various influences are heard. Generally speaking, this album is energetic with a few soft interludes here and there. Life in this culture is both good and sad. Liveliness is balanced with introspection. Beautiful melodies abound, but there are also many flights of electric abandon. Tony Duhig plays some of his most ferocious leads here, the kind of thing he might have given over to his brother Dave on previous recordings. Dave Duhig often plays fast; Tony is more melodic, but he can grind a grungy sound better than anyone, including Neil Young and any of the grunge players from the 90s.

Among my favorite songs are Heaven Stone, Way of the Sun, Dance of the Sun, and the closer, Death of Ra, which is one of the greatest guitar ballads I have heard, comparable and perhaps better to Camel's Ice. As usual, all the songs segue together in a series, but each here also stand out on their own. In other words, one can listen to a track by itself and enjoy it fully without having to hear it in the context of the rest of the album (although that always helps). Song lengths average in the 4-5 minute range, with some shorter, some longer. In many ways, Way of the Sun harkens back to the earlier Glyn Havard days, while remaining almost totally different. Such statements can only make sense if you are familiar with Jade Warrior's music.

Less challenging than Kites, Way of the Sun is also more cohesive and is probably the best introduction for rockers to the Island recordings. It is the last of the series. Not selling very well, Island Records dropped them. What we have here is a commercial failure but an immense musical success. The four Island recordings now stand as classics of their era, albums ahead of their time, and major influences on world music. So, another chapter closes for Jade Warrior. Fortunately, it was not the final one, and the duo of Field and Duhig would continue to create music.