FROGG CAFÉ

Excellent seems to be an understatement to me. A monumental surprise. Instrumentally we have: Violin, Trumpet, Keyboards, Bass, Guitar, Drums and three vocalists. The music ranges from jaunty Irish jig to frenzied Zappaesque guitar squalls. Odd meters and slippedy-quick rhythm changes, poetic lyrics and harmony filled deliveries. They also have a rabid cult following all along the US East Coast.... and spreading fast. The Frogg Cafe is catching on faster than Paris Hilton's thong collection. The production, though remastered, is still a bit flat.

Deltitnu is a stunning instrumental, violin figures prominently. Old Souls has a jazzy vocal line with some 70's Zappa refrains that sound like witches burning at the stake. Candy Korn comes in two movements and shows the leasons learned when Frogg Cafe existed as a Zappa cover band. The trumpet solo takes you to some old Miles territory. Touches of Gentle Giant, Echolyn, Happy the Man and JL Ponty make their way into the mix. The Ponty moments really shine in While You Were Sleeping, jazz piano seeps in, the drums and bass keep this greasy and smooth then segues right into some scathing guitar work. Stuttering and biting. Sweet. Old Man has that cutting violin doubled by guitar that sounds so slick. Unfortunately the vocals drag a bit on this tune, but the melody is very good. Space Dust makes me think, "What if Jean Luc Ponty played on a Bruford album?" Cool, understated fusion. Questions Without Answers contains a piece of Zappa's "Inca Roads." The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

I'd recommend this disc to any fan of Zappa, Gentle Giant, Soft Machine, Happy the Man, Echolyn or any band talented enough to inject some jazz into their sound.

Just wait, their best, CREATURES, is even better!