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Complex, robust, full-bodied: like a bold cabernet, the jazz-rock fusion that flows from
Vital Tech Tones Vol 2 is best appreciated by those with mature tastes and inquisitive natures. After an initial jolt to the senses, it gradually reveals subtle satisfactions that become more apparent after repeated samplings, persuading you over time that you have unearthed something deeply enjoyable. Fusion fans fond of music with a freestyle rock sensibility should be drawn to this inviting, hard-edged excursion into territory once explored by the
Mahavishnu Orchestra. Guitarist
Scott Henderson (of
Tribal Tech) sends showers of expressive, non-linear chords raining down on the detailed rhythmic underpinnings supplied by drummer
Steve Smith (of
Vital Information and, long ago,
Journey) and bassist
Victor Wooten (of
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones). The results (all instrumental) are challenging, engrossing, a bit raw, not fully melodic, yet never so abstract that they become alienating. Without showboating, Henderson tinkers with textures that at times bring to mind Jeff Beck, Eddie Van Halen and a young Al Di Meola, all in an ever-shifting context that encourages sustained listening.
--Terry Wood