DIVERGENCE

Well I tend to agree with Hugues rating here. After the excellent debut the band lost their bass / singer and also the percussionist. So enter a new bass player who also sings but i'm not a big fan of his vocals. More importantly as others have mentioned the opeing track is too commercial sounding. Of course there is lots to like here but I do find this one pales when compared to their debut.

"Second Line" reminds me of Lionel Ritchie's "Easy Like Sunday Morning" for some reason. The vocals and piano i'm thinking. Now they had changed labels prior to this release so maybe a poppy tune was encouraged by EMI. Anyway this really is like getting off on the wrong foot. Piano and a beat leads early then the vocals join in. We get a relaxed sax solo before 3 minutes that lasts for a minute. "Divergence" has some nasty organ and drums to start then smooth sax takes over with bass and a beat. The organ is back as contrasts continue. Some dissonant sax late. "Fever" is much better with those sparse sounds early then flute before 2 1/2 minutes before it kicks in after 3 minutes. Good tune.

"Concentration" has a nice intro then it settles with a beat, sax and organ. Prominant bass 2 1/2 minutes in followed by vocals. This is kind of bluesy. The sax replaces the vocals 4 1/2 minutes in then the vocals return. They stop again as the tempo picks up. Great section from 6 1/2 minutes to the end. Excellent track. "Theme" is a short flute piece. "New Dimension" has a beat, piano and vocals. Sax comes and goes. It's okay.

A little inconsistant for my tastes but I know many who are big fans of this one. Thanks Doug !