PRIMADONNA

Haven't got or heard the first album so it's just the second and final album of this French band that is my sum total of knowledge. By 1978 JRF was probably past its peak, certainly commercially....unless you wanted watered down crossovers....and probably creatively. Having said this, a collection of musicians with serious chops and a European as opposed to a purely US based aesthetic ment you could still detect a pulse if you searched hard enough. The opening track has a NY funk influence but also a suggestion of Canterbury in parts. As happens throughout and it is a carp of mine, some musicians in a band like this...yes am talking to you Mr Bass...really don't understand that there are times to shine and times to provided the basis for others to step up. Yes we all know you can play but...groups are called groups for a reason. The second track is still driven by funk but gallops along at a pace. Primadonna is more interesting with prog leanings and sounds like a composition rather than a vehicle for showy offery. There is little hint of any US JRF influence, more a Euro/Italian prog feel and stands out because of its difference to what surrounds it as track 4 we go all generic again and Mr Bass still hadn't got the memo...but bits of National Health rescue things. Karin Song takes a standard minor descending structure and bends it out of shape but a really thin keys sound and a simple melody line leaves me a bit meh. Arlecchino is standard late 70's JRF and see above for perhaps why it was past a peak. Bits of Zappa are nodded towards (no bad thing) and it sounds like a King Crimson riff was borrowed for a bridge. The guitar man is half decent and at least the track is partly his latin/eastern tinged solo which works well enough. It is followed by a shorter keys based track that sounds more like an exert from a longer piece but it reminds me of Neutrons ...a favourite Man spin off band of mine. Jeff...the track, not some bloke....comes across as a harder edged Sea Level cut and I like the guitar led melodies/leads and an Al Di Meola leaning without being too flash. The penultimate track overdoes the funk for me. Am all for it as an influence and I do have some funk in my collection but we are back to generic and stale for all the collective abilities of the musicians.

All in all props to these lads for not going down some sell out crossover path but they had little to offer that we hadn't heard before and better. Yes there are moments and will restate that their European influence gives it an added dimension and am caught in the PA ratings dilema ...again....as it is a fair way better than a 3....probably a 3.5...but not within touching distance of a 4 so my rating brings down the average even though the average as it stands (3.55) is where I would mark it.

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