STREAMLINE

The year is 1978 and Lenny White has just released his seminal album "Adventures Of Astral Pirates". Return To Forever has broken up the year before, and all of its members have gone on to successfull solo careers. Lenny White quickly made a name for himself as a capable bandleader, if a prehaps a little to trendy. "Adventures Of Astral Pirates" had prehaps been a little to insipred by the general aestethics of "Star Wars" wich had been released the year before, but it made up for that by being a fantastic peice of Jazz Rock. "Streamline" however is not as lucky. The addition of Don Blackman and Chaka Khan, and the uninspired cover art (is Lenny stuck inside of the video game "Portal"?) foreshadows a considerably more commercial sound. "Struttin'" betrays no such intent however, it is simply a solid Funk tune. "Lady Madonna", is where you realise where this is going. A HORRIBLY dated Disco cover of a Beatles tune. This was just two years after The Bee Gees had done the same in the legendary flop "All This and World War II" and considering how you cannot visit any Bar during the summer without hearing some sadist with a synth, butcher a Beatles classic, there really is no way to describe this song except horrendously cheesy.

"12 bars from mars" picks up the slack, with some solid Rock, but we soon return to Disco in "Earthlings" this time with some quasi religious lyrics to boot. It is first when we get to the three final song that i am really reminded that this is supposed to be a Jazz Rock album. Lennys drumming wich all throughout this album has been rather anonymous, really picks up, and the great Marcus Miller shines on the bass. The greatest track on the entire album must be the last one called "Cosmic Indigo". It is a great Jazz track with some good swing drumming and crazy responses between piano and guitar. Want to know the kicker? Its only fifty seconds long! All in all, "Streamline" really isnt one of Lenny Whites best albums. There are enough good Funk and Jazz Rock tracks to please the fanatic, but way too much filler and Disco for the rest of us to care. This obssession with trends has always been Lennys problem IMO (his Rap records from the 90's comes to mind) and one of the reasons that i think his albums are less remembered than Billy Cobhams. Its not really fair, and Lenny is still one hell of a drummer, but his best work still lies with Return To Forever and his first solo albums.