BEAT

This album really does deserve the low rating-- the songs may have some of the complex twists and turns as seen (much more interestingly) in "Discipline", they have a decisively pop stink to them which gives the whole album a very un-Crimson sound. They sound like outtakes from their previous album, and Belew's vocals throughout tend to repulse more than they attract. However, I can't say that "Beat" is a total failure. The few purely instrumental moments are almost all blissfully dynamic and intriguing... but they aren't numerous or lengthy enough to redeem the muddled outcome. Only for serious fans, but certainly fun for the occasional listen.

Songwriting: 2 Instrumental Performances: 2 Lyrics/Vocals: 2 Style/Emotion/Replay: 1