MUSIC MAGIC

A much under-rated and under-appreciated album in which Gayle Moran's vocal talents are often unjustly maligned. I think people just lament the loss of Al and maybe Lenny, though the absence of guitar altogether is probably more the reason. What's your problem! The horns are awesome! And drummer Gary Brown is awesome (especially if you've taken the time to listen to the triple live album, "Return to Forever Live" that was recorded on this album's tour), and Gayle's soaring voice is such a delight when paired with Stanley and Chick's music. As a matter of fact, it is Chick and Gayle's collaboration on Chick's solo release of the same time, "The Mad Hatter" that rates higher than any RTF album for me--is my favorite album ever produced by any one of the fearsome foursome (Al, Stanley, Lenny, and Chick). Give this album a chance--and leave behind your preconceptions that there has to be guitar (Connors or DiMeola) and that girls have no place in prog (watch out Kate, Annie Haslam, Sandy Denny, Judy Dyble, Barbara Gaskin, Pascale Son, Sonja Kristina, and Dagmar Krause!) If you have to, even try to forget that this is RTF; this is great prog fusion!