SAFETY IN NUMBERS

Escaping the American heartland and presently touring the american coasts with memorable live performances, this is Umphrey`s Magee. Starting out as a jam band with over 400 plus gigs under their belt, these guys have put together back to back masterpieces. With tight vocal harmonies, great syncopation and infectious grooves this band delivers the goods. From the wonderful cover artwork to the notes within Safety in Numbers would be a fine addition to any proglover`s collection. On this album you may hear nuances of Gentle giant, Happy the Man and the other American heartland band Kansas.This band is not locked on the retro or derivitave target. They truly have evolved their own sound and personally I hope this is indicative of the future of prog rock. They claim on their website The Beatles were a strong influence and at times you can hear that playfullness in the music which really elevates a band over the mundane. My personal favorite song on the album is Believe the Lie which happens to be the first song on the album. This song reminds me of Happy the Man. All songs are quite good though and none could be considered filler. This is great American prog for the now.

Safety in Numbers abandons most of the band's experimentation and it seems the band starts to lack on new ideas. It oscillates between acoustic simple tracks, almost seeming we're listening to a songwriter, although with some progressive rock nuances, from guitar solos and piano and saxophone lines to back sound textures.

Umphrey's Mcgee deposits their characteristic staccato approach to the instruments, helping to confine it to their own identity. The result is a nice collection of soft tracks, but with nothing that imposes it particularly on this era. Some hard rock roots are found in some tracks, like the catchy "Nemo" or the Prefab's Sprout evoking "Intentions Clear". Blues/country influences are found in the ambience of "Women Wine and Song". The catchy mellow acoustic instrumental "End of the Road" is a sensibility standout for the band, while "Words" has a special beauty on its main motive. "Ocean Billy" is the most experimental and the closest to the previous record, while "The Weight Around" emotional chorus is an interesting final to the album.

While having its faults, concerning what could we expect from the band's creativity, still proves to be a good collection of simple but catchy songs.

A good album to start with for newbies who wants to take a first small step into the world of fusion.

The music here sounds like late 70's or early 80's AOR, tinged and flavoured with improvisational and jazzy elements. No harsh sounds on display here, the songs, the song structures and the production here is smooth. The songs can be relatively complex though, but in the subtle details. Listening closely and intently to the album over time will be a rewarding exploration, as new elements will be discovered every so often.

The main weakness of the album is that there's a bit too many fillers here, and the good tracks here aren't good enough to pull this album out of the average category and up to excellent.

Umphey's McGee's fourth album "Safety in Numbers" comes after one of their discography highlights "Anchor Drops". For whatever reason, the band opted to take a softer and less progressive approach to this album, but that definitely doesn't mean you should skip over this album. There is still progressive elements at play here, you just have to listen for them. Also, the music, for the most part, still has the unique approach that the band is known for, and it is still quite highly enjoyable. The music is mostly upbeat even if it is softer. It also has a jazzier edge to it making for a nice fusion sound.

Another thing that is noticeable is that there is more of an acoustic sound to the music. Again, this might even be something that you might not even notice as there is still a lot going on, so you can't really call it their "unplugged" album, because it does not sound unplugged at all. The sessions for this album generated a lot of great material, and the band sounds very relaxed, and this all works to their advantage. The album might be a grower for some, and for me, it has taken a few years to really penetrate, but now I find it highly entertaining and enjoyable.

The opening track "Believe the Lie" is one of the more progressive tracks on here, but attentive listeners will notice that it is a bit different from their previous albums. This difference will be noticeable on some tracks more than others, but there is no need to fear as there are still plenty of experimental surprises to keep you interested. Then as you listen to it more, you will notice the subtle progressive tricks and turns. However, there are songs on here that might be considered a bit more geared towards the masses and a bit more radio friendly, as in "Women, Wind & Song" (which even features Huey Lewis on background vocals and harmonica) and "Intentions Clear". There is a sweet little instrumental that hints at the bands melancholic side in "End of the Road". But then there are those that lean a bit to the more experimental side like "Rocker" and "Words". There's plenty here to keep fans engaged and also accessible music that would make this a great album for musical lovers to discover the band with.

There was so much material generated from this album, that they were able to make a 2nd album with it, which would end up making their following album "The Bottom Half" which also includes a 2nd disc with even further outtakes, rehearsals and other horseplay.

No, the album isn't a progressive 5-star gem, but it is still quite enjoyable and interesting with less improvisation, but still a good amount of great music. I still find that I can easily attach a 4-star rating to it as it is not an album to be ignored, but don't expect a high level of progressive or heavy music on this one. It's very relaxed and accessible and the band seems to be having fun.