TRANSFORMATION

Some of Ms. Wilkenfeld's fans may feel indignation about her being judged by the strict jazz fusion standards, but since Transformation was listed on Progarchives in the Jazz Fusion section, such judgment would be appropriate and fair, wouldn't it?

Some folks involuntarily tend to cut the "young newcomers" some slack upon seeing something in their debut effort that looks promising. In the case of Ms. W, that hasn't come to pass - it's been 6 or 7 years since the Transformation, and her sophomore album hasn't materialized. And if/when it does, I sincerely hope she won't be singing on it :)

To go back to the subject:

The only title in the jazz fusion vein here is Serendipity; much of the remainder is more of the lightweight jazz-bluesy pop. The kind of you'd be hearing in the background while dining in an upscale restaurant. Safe, smooth and bland.

The musicianship is adequate across the board .. no blunders .. no surprises .. no excitement .. some steady-handed, bread and butter professional studio work. A couple of pleasant passages here and there. Period.

There is one peculiar thing about The Transformations that acts like a sort of a safety pressure release valve. It's so hopelessly bland that listening to it bores me into stupor well before it could sufficiently irritate me to log into the PA and leave a one-star review.

Two stars therefore :)