RHYTHM OF TIME

The talented, eccentric Jordan Rudess may have a fetish for goofy sythesizer sounds, but at least he has the chops to make them work, especially when they are appropriately chosen and applied by a whole group of virtuosic writers (Dream Theater). However, when Rudess locks himself in a studio for two straight weeks between engagements with the boiz of DT to write and record an entire album, you know that the man is going to go overboard. Of course, some people still find those sounds to be cool, and Rudess hired them to help out: people like Joe Satriani, Steve Morse and apparently Kip Winger. So, the two weeks ends and we now have Rhythm of Time. While the rhythm of time according to my watch is simply 60 BPM all the time, Rudess intended for the title to reflect the process undergone to produce the record. For two weeks, the man produced a lot of material, and most of it is solid. Even at the general pace of the record (fast), the eight tracks clock in at just under an hour. Not so surprisingly, the album is a blizzard of notes, but most of them melodic or purposeful in some way. There are great solos and intricate arrangements galore as one would expect from such talent. It makes for great driving music, too. Stylistically, the album is more or less a jazz-fusion record somewhere between Niacin, Liquid Tension Experiment and Planet X, but its just not as good as the best work of those bands. Those bands could make corny synths or riffs work, but too often this sounds downright silly. The goofy interjections in Dream Theater make for hilarious comic relief in a good way, but half of this album is that kind of comic relief. Most of it is just Rudess being his quirky self, but I think his quirks are more effective when they are applied in Dream Theater music.

Two points in this album feature reverse goofy interjection. I had name-dropped earlier that Kip Winger was involved in this project, and if that isn't funny enough, he sings two ballads on this record. We're not unfamiliar to Rudess' softer side - his evening with John Petrucci gave us a lot of excellent music in a more acoustic/light listening vein - but we are unfamilar to hearing lyrics that Rudess penned. Apparently Rudess had some feelings he needed to express with words, and Kip Winger was the vocalist who understood him the most and was therefore the most capable of projecting his feelings. These songs, "Beyond Tomorrow" and "Tear Before the Rain" are most inappropriate for this release. The rockin' second half of the former could have been its own piece, and while I can understand why a piece like the latter would be a good way to close an album (or better than a quirk-blizzard at least), it feels like it doesn't belong and the album could have ended with the track before it or something like it. After all, the people who buy this album will be buying it for the fast-paced, quirky, technical, etc. music and not expect to be driven to tears by Rudess' soul-crushing thoughts.

In short, it's clear that Rudess was working quickly, but I don't think too many musicians could pull something like this off in a mere two weeks. It's got a lot of great moments, but as a whole this disc is forgettable.

Recommended to those who often find themselves driving over 120 MPH or for that rare fan of both NASCAR and prog music.

As most of us know Jordan Rudess is the keyboardplayer of Dream Theater and the LTE project. And he's a very skilled one I can tell you. To me it was not really a suprise he had made some solo albums but I had never thought he made so many. Rhythm of Time is one of his latest and to date I'm not sure how many of his discography I will check out in the future. Could be quite a few because despite the fact that I was already aware of his ultimate class I wasn't sure how good his solo works would be. Good enough to keep me curious, that's for sure.

Time Crunch is a great energetic track setting the tone for the rest of the album. 4*.

Screaming Head is one of the two tracks on which we can admire Joe Satriani. Always nice to hear something by him. This track is a bit slower than previous but still up tempo most of the time. 4,25*.

Insectsamongus is a funny sounding tune in the beginning like something from the roaring twenties at least where Jordan's contribution is concerned. Later on it gets more fusion like with all kinds of twists and turns in sound and style. Versatile track.4*.

Next is one of the two tracks where vocals are used (Kip Winger). Beyond Tomorrow is questioned by some other reviewers but I'm not ashamed to admit this laid back song is one of my favourites of this album. Great melody and composition. 4,25*.

Bar hopping with mr.Picky is another fast and furious fusion track with some nice guitar by Steve Morse this time besides the obvious shining Rudess. 4*.

What Four is the second track with extreme variation this time even some semi classical play by Jordan. Also here Steve Morse on guitar. 4*.

Ra is a bit heavier coming close to Liquid Tension Experiment style. Jordan does some resemble play like on Scenes from a Memory by DT. Good thinking. 3,75*.

Tear before the Rain is the second song with vocal contribution by Kip Winger. This one is even more vocal than Beyond Tomorrow but imo not as good. Still 3,75*.

Looking at the ratings for each song this is a piece of cake for the final rating. A more clear case of 4 stars I hardly ever witnessed. Great album and recommended for every Rudess fan and also for DT and LTE-fans but they will have to realize that this is not prog metal. The right category of music lovers I want to recommend this album to is the fusion fans because that's the style the average sound comes closes to.

Jordan Rudess is Dream Theatre keyboard player. He participates in some other projects, and recording solo albums as well. This is one of them.

First of all, this album has no relations with DT music, and with prog-metal or any metal at all. Electric keyboards based mid tempo melodic compositions, with all collection of great names. As a result music is quite pleasant, if not too much original. Very professional sound, good arrangements, mellow songs. Zero experimentation as well. Safe pleasant album . Not too big dose of prog, very classic compositions and even AOR influence on some songs.

All together - comfortable listening with prog elements for conservative listener. No bad, but you will hardly find there even simple new idea or sound.

Jordan Rudess the DREAM THEATER keyboardist has put out several solo albums, which was news to me when I saw them all listed here.This apparently is one of his more popular ones released in 2004.That's Jordan on the album's cover doing his Stevie Wonder impersonation. Lots of talented people on this album. As usual Jordan has his friend Rod Morgenstein (DIXIE DREGS) on drums along with a young new guitarist in Daniel J.That's the core lineup, and then we get a multitude of guests helping out on various tracks with solos etc. Included is Joe Satriani, Steve Morse, Dave LaRue, Vinnie Moore and more. Oh yeah Kip Winger sings the two vocal tracks. Both are the lowlights of the album.

"Time Crunch" turns heavy very quickly with the keyboards playing over top. An energetic opener. "Screaming Head" picks up quickly then settles back with atmosphere 1 1/2 minutes in. It's heavy after 3 1/2 minutes. Lots of synths on this one. "Insectsamongus" is keyboard led. It turns mellow before 2 minutes then heavy again. A jazzy flavour arrives before 5 1/2 minutes then it becomes intense again.

"Beyond Tomorrow" opens with piano as drums and bass join in then vocals. Some ripping guitar from Greg Howe before 7 minutes.Vocals are back late. "Barhopping With Mr. Picky" opens with bass and drums followed by a full sound. Some experimentation on this one. Steve Morse leads before 3 minutes on guitar then the synths take over. "What Four" features lots of piano and synths.The guitar (Greg Howe) is cranking it out before 2 1/2 minutes then Steve Morse solos after 5 minutes. "RA" rocks out pretty good.Guitar (Vinnie Moore) to the fore 3 minutes in. "Tear Before The Rain" is the ballad-like closing song with Kip singing. Not a fan.

Lots to like here but this is definitely no more than a 3 star album in my books. I much prefer Derek Sherinian's solo works, but Kevin Moore tops them all when it comes to solo stuff by DREAM THEATER keyboardists.

The wizard strikes again.

Jordan Rudess is a well known keyboardist. Playing keys for two very well known Prog Metal acts, Dream Theater and Liquid Tension Experiment, and also for the famed proggers Dixie Dregs way back when, he has had ample opportunity to show off his incredible talent and affinity for electronic synthesizer sounds. Well, on Rhythm of Time, the wizard has done it again. Full of eclectic sounds, feels, genres, and some great trippy keyboard sounds, the album is a Rudess treat. Incredible musicianship is really the main factor in making the sounds mesh together and sound like a cohesive piece of music, and he pulls it off fantastically. And it's not only him. He gets together a great bunch of guys to record this album, including Joe Satriani, Rod Morgenstein, and Steve Morse. The album sets you down the path of the mind of Rudess and his crazy keyboard wizardry.

Time Crunch hits you square in the face early on with some trippy old synth effects and some smashing back tracks and polyrhythmic fun, a la Rod Morgenstein. Rudess really weaves in and out quite fluidly with different sounds and voices with this one, with some great dynamic and part changes working to his great advantage. A strong electronica feel is all throughout the song, with some slower trippier breakdowns and great part changes. The solo section is a great treat, switching between keyboard madness and more mellow guitar soloing effortlessly. Overall, this track is as strong an intro as ever, opening the Rhythm of Time with a screaming head (nice transition, eh?).

Screaming Head is a great rocking track with some mixing of all of Rudess other projects into one great song. Some jazzy instrumentation and some cool keys solos within. The dynamic and part changes are cool and creative, switching from quick and bopping to slow and mischievous with great ease. Some of the keyboard voices seem a little cheesy but almost sound right with Rudess' crazy playing. Again he makes the switches between keys and guitar solos seem like nobody's business and makes the whole song flow fantastically.

Insects Among Us is, simply stated, weird. An interesting little keyboard riffing piece is heard as an intro to the 9 minute track that breaks into some very jazzy instrumentation. I'm not saying the song is bad, because it for certain isn't and is actually quite a gem of the album. It is definitely the jazziest song on the album, with even some straight jazz solos by Rudess, switching up the pace of the album and a lot and adding a great many facets of musical diversity to the album. Overall another strong effort by Rudess on so far a very strong album.

Beyond Tomorrow vastly changes the pace of the album to a more sincere ballad like pace. It is the first vocal track on the album, using some compassionate vocal melodies and carefully crafted harmonies with the piano and backing rhythms. The whole song is very chill and relaxed, displaying yet another facet of Rudess' great musical diversity. The song uses some great instrumentation and soloing in the instrumental section with some really cool sounds and voices to boot. Overall, the song slows the album down a lot and shows Rudess more compassionate side, ending with some really cool instrumentation and experimentation.

Bar Hopping with Mr. Picky is just like the title makes it seem, a really fun jazzy solo song between bass, keyboards, and guitar. The song uses some fantastic polyrhythmic feels and exploration. The guitar solos and keyboard solos are right out of this world, with some really amazing experimentation and psychedelic instrumentation.

What Four is a cool eclectic song with the use of a huge variety of voices and feels. Again Morgenstein brings us some really amazing polyrhythmic feels and some great jazzy rhythms to back Rudess bombastic and insane playing style. You can really see the chemistry these two insanely talented musicians have together. The whole ride of the instruments gives you a great feeling, just like all the other insanely strong tracks on the album.

Ra is a really cool ethnic jam. It uses even more keyboard voices than before, implementing a lot more ethnic and predictably "Egyptian" sounding voicing. Some really cool soloing and instrumentation is all about the track, showing Rudess' ethnic side and yet again another facet of his highly diverse musical influence.

Tear Before the Rain is the second vocal track and the second soft and compassionate ballad. The song is purely beautiful song, implementing delicate melodies and careful piano playing traditional to Jordan's style. The lyrics are actually quite moving, despite the whole album being an instrumental effort. Rudess' delicate composition is truly a gem on the album, with some of the most sincere playing on the album, rather than truly cheesy synthesizer voices and sounds. Bravo, Mr. Rudess, bravo.

ALBUM OVERALL: Rhythm of Time is an almost difficult album to rate. The album has such a wide variety of styles and feels, from metal to jazz to ballad to classical, you almost can't give it a concise, accurate rating with all of Rudess' crazy playing and great musical diversity. He uses so many different voices and sounds that the music at times a just a mesh of psychedelic sounds and at others an absolutely beautiful display of Rudess's skill. Overall, the album is an extremely strong effort and one of Rudess' best solo works. 4+ stars.

Rhythm of time from 2004 issued at same Magna Carta is somehow a more excentric release then Feeding the wheel, here Rudess playes and explore lots of sythesizer sounds, whwre he can really show us what he can do with this instrument. A perfect example is Insectsamongus avery jazzy dominated by Rudess's keyboards, but aswell some good druming here. The album is quite more edgy with heavy parts more accentuated then on Feeding the wheel, the lighter moments almost gone taken place by some more elaborated and complex arrangements. The album overall is ok, even great but I think is little to long. Aagain some top notch musicians involved here, among others Vinnie Moore, Joe Satriani or Steve Morse. Alternating heavy sections like first 3 pieces with more mellower passages as on Beyond tomorrow, Rudess come with a good album but I don't think is fantastic and is less intresting, at least for me then Feeding the wheel. I like very much the pieces Bar Hopping With Mr Picky , What four or Ra, very smooth and energic tune full of great moements. Very good are the keybords heere, experimental passges that goes very well in this context. IMO I find Rudess in his solo albums more intresting then most of DT albums he appear (with exception Scene from a memory), here he has more space , the music is jazzier and is more enjoyble to my ears, then the same keyboards passages he offers on some DT albums. Let's say 4 stars , not really a four but this time I'll go with this rate.

Jordan Rudess' prolific years continue with 2002, a new album (''Six degrees of inner turbulence'') and a tour with Dream Theater and two solo works, one inspired by Christmas (''Christmas sky'') and one dedicated to the victims of 9/11 New York terrorist attack (''4NYC'').In 2003 he records another album with Dream Theater, ''Train of thought'', which finds the band in a switch towards very heavy sounds, and later he focused on another Prog-inspired solo work.For the album ''Rhythm of time'' he established a regular rhythm section with Dave LaRue on bass and Rod Morgenstein on drums and invited some of the finest guitarists to help him: Greg Howe, Joe Satriani, Steve Morse, Vinnie Moore and Daniel Jakubovic.The album was released in 2004 on Magna Carta.

It's not an excess to say that the tracks presented here are well adapted to the style of the invited guitarists and Ruddess' duo with each of them makes a stylistical entry of his own.For example the pieces featuring Vinnie Moore and Joe Satriani are the more virtuosic ones, again somewhere between the sound of DREAM THEATER and LIQUID TENSION EXPERIENT, with a strong nod to Fusion and many references to Classical and Electronic Music, Film Scores and extreme Prog Metal.Great music with complex instrumental twists, endless breaks and tempo changes, swirling around Heavy Rock pounds, symphonic atmospheres and technical Fusion, without doubt closing the works of former DREAM THEATER keyboardist DEREK SHERINIAN.Guitarist Greg Howe is featured in a couple of pieces, which still retain the high quality of musicianship, but both are more symphonic with evident Classical interludes and a more pompous sound akin to 70's Prog Rock monsters, albeit with a modern touch.Great music again, fronted by more melodious themes but also nice isolated performances.''Beyond tomorrow'' features also Kip Winger on vocals.With Steve Morse on his side Ruddess has the chance to offer more playful themes, his alternation on keyboard excess along with Morse's more rockin' guitar vibes offer a less heavy or guitar-colored music, Morse of course needs only a couple of minutes to shine on his solos, but Ruddess is the main hero on these cuts with a manifest of keyboard tricks and moves with a jazzy and Classical taste.The closing piece ''Tear before the rain'' is a different fruit, a soft piano-driven AOR ballad with Winger on vocals and Ruddess on piano, creating a melancholic and emotional farewell.

Another strong attempt by Ruddess on virtuosic, technical but always well-executed Heavy/Prog Rock with focus on keyboard and guitar interactions.Love it at moments, this comes definitely strongly recommended...3.5 stars.