5.0 out of 5 stars
not a big fan of piano trios, but....., January 7, 2004
This review is from: Chillin' (Audio CD)
Phishbacher - Chillin (Lofish Music 2003)
First of all, I am not a big fan of piano trios. Too many, too tedious, too many notes, not enough space, etc. So my surprise was great when I put "Chillin'" into my CD player and found myself listening to it twice in a row! This is a terrific CD, the band doesn't get stuck in needing to prove that they can play (that's obvious anyway). Instead they go ahead and create music. My favorites are definitely the ballads "EZ breezie" and "Return to Nowhere", where Phishbacher also experiment with some electronica sounds on top of the acoustic trio, a quite risky endeavor that can go horrendously wrong, if done for the wrong reasons. Here the keyboard pads somehow enhance the mood, making for some very smooth and moving listening. The uptempo pieces, most notably "Pootish" are a bit show-offy but nonetheless fun to listen to and definitely make you tap your foot, or possibly even shake your bootie a bit.
Finally the mid-tempo back-beat pieces are very very relaxed, without ever drifting off into being trivial. The really good thing about this CD is that you can decide, whether you want to listen to it very closely or just have it wash over you. In either case the experience is absolutely satisfying.
Michael Shumann
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
