When I first heard that Steve Stevens (Billy Idol, Michael Jackson) was doing a project with drummer extrodinaire Terry Bozzio and Bass virtuoso Tony Levin, I thought "Great, I cant wait to hear what Mr. Stevens has been up to lately". After seeing him perform with Billy Idol back in 1984 or so, I have always had respect for his talents. So, with this power trio combination, why was I disappointed? It wasn't supposed to be like this. I was supposed to be awed by this power trio. Hmmm…lets try to figure it out shall we?

When I put this CD in the player for the first time, I was excited. The first song "The Sun Road" started, as it went on I kept thinking ok, its got some cool spacey rhythmic drums, some looping bass, and some neat guitar swooshes, "any second now they are just gonna start ripping"......"Any moment now"......"Get ready, the song's been playing for almost 15 minutes, any time now"......

Then the song ends.

"I was robbed"!

It seems as though the entire recording carried on this tradition. I was really disappointed. But what the heck, maybe I was a bit too harsh, lets listen to it again. Well, after listening to it a few times, it started to grow on me. In every track there seems top be a few things that I really liked, but they never capitalized on those moments. I found myself getting frustrated while listening to it.

I would like to make a few comments on what I do like about though. Steve Stevens can play flamenco! He's no Paco De Lucia, but I was still pleasantly surprised. He plays some traditional flamenco on this recording that is just beautiful. He's also got some really cool riffs happening from time to time. However I did find his "big hair eighties playing with the digital delay" a bit boring. Mr. Bozzio and Mr. Levin also have their moments, just not enough of them. As I'm writing this, I find myself asking, "why didn't they just let it rip?" With so much talent, I should have been blown away.

I get the feeling that while they were working on this, they were just not comfortable at all. At least that's the feeling I get, and it's a good enough reason for me to understand why they didn't produce the recording that they are definitely capable of. I would love to have them do this again, but something tells me we just won't see it.

Overall, I would recommend listening to a friend's copy before buying it yourself. Personally, I'm glad I own it, and will occasionally pop it in and play it. It's still progressive rock performed by professionals. And that in itself is worth hearing!

CUL8R,
Thingfish

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