Customer Reviews

Consequence of Chaos

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The veteran guitarist is back in the trusty electric saddle.
Di Meola was the blazing jazz fusion axeman par excellence in "Return To Forever" back in the '70s and he has come a long way since - he's explored acoustic via Brazilian, tango and flamenco collaborations and developed his compositional and arranging abilities considerably.

That expanded knowledge base is evident in the fifteen tracks on this release, but so is the obvious fun he has reconnecting with his first love - the solid-body electric guitar.
So although this record is not all about electric flash - there's plenty of rich texture and strong melody to get your head round - it's great to hear him cut loose as in days of yore.
Di Meola's distinctive style and classy approach congeal the music with authority.

He's signed up good support too: former boss Chick Corea appears on two tunes (the lovely acoustic duet on "Cry for You" which brings out the best in both musicians as their interplay , and the scalding "Red Moon" )
Percussionists Ernie Adams and Gumbi Ortiz's standout work, especially on the subtle "Hypnose," add hot, bubbling flavor to the project,and drum maestro Steve Gadd guests on another couple and Di Meola's working quartet provide road-tested grooves throughout.
A must for all electric guitar aficionados.

Allowed one Al di Meola CD to take on my desert island , would this be the one ?? Nope....(that`d be Elegant Gypsy or Tour de Force).
But is this a brilliant CD?? - you bet!
Actually, I think time will show us that this is one of Al`s very best (that what he thinks - I think we`ll agree with time..)

What fascinates me is that - like no Al CD before - this contains Al`s full CV.... there are pieces of RTF/early di Meola,Orange & Blue,and stuff
that could well belong to Tiramisu or even Soaring Through a Dream (remember that one?!). In short: this IS Al di Meola - full spectrum...

For those (of us ) who were perhaps expecting a return to the raw intensity of the early days, let`s not be disappointed - and let`s give the guy a break ! (how many of us drive or make love like we did back in `78 ?? so why expect the same music from Al?)
We do get reminders of the 70s (eg Tempest) but the depth of a truly mature musician shines through on this CD - eg Turquoise cca 3 minutes into the tune - that 1 minute would stand proud on any di Meola cut...

So why not 5 stars ?? ....
Quite simply, because whilst Al is a technical virtuoso in his own league, overall-for me- he fails to generate "Band momentum" throughout the CD....( Come to think of it,maybe Orange & Blue was the last time in this respect... ) Brilliant pieces of interaction (particularly with the keyboards), and some amazing tunes with real depth, but the dynamism of a real band throughout the whole CD seems missing...
And this is at the crux of things I think... Many people have said that they are disappointed / missing the flair of old and of announced.. But is that where it`s at??
I think the flair is there most of the time, with additional depth that makes eg The Wizard and co seem extremely raw - the real issue in my mind is that amongst the depth/sporadic flair Al seems to have "lost the band momentum" that made eg Casino / Electric Rendezvous/ or even Kiss My Axe truly great.

No complaints though folks....honestly, how many musicians have given us greater pleasure over the 30 years??

Why is it that so many music fans want the musicians they like to continually rehash their glory days? I read all the reviews and then listened to Consequence of Chaos a half dozen times and came away pretty much agreeing with the reviewer from Hungary who asks fans to listen to this CD on its own terms. While this CD may not be the heralded return to Al's electric days, it does at least touch on them while not forsaking his most recent direction. It covers the full spectrum of his talents indeed!
I have been an Al DiMeola fan from the start and have seen him live many times over the past thirty years. When he makes a new album, I don't want him to recreate favorites like Casino, Soaring Through A Dream, or Orange and Blue any more than I wish to hear him remake albums I didn't like so much like Kiss My Axe or Scenario. I want to hear something new! Consequence of Chaos, while not among his five best, is an album that has at least something to offer fans of all periods. With musicians like Chick Corea and Steve Gadd, he assures us of his respect for his early years. With long-time percussionist Gumbi Ortiz still on board, he reassures those most attuned to his later World Sinfonia projects.
There are no tunes on Consequence of Chaos that stand out for me either positively or negatively. I have been enjoying it in the office for half the day now and find its vibes to be extremely soothing and conducive to a productive day. DiMeola's mastery is such that you can close your eyes if you like, kick back, and the music will take your mind anywhere in the world you want to go!

The only conclusion I can come to after reading some of the negative reviews of this CD is that people tend to judge too quickly, and don't give the work time to "marinate" in their heads. The bulk of DiMeola's work for about the last 15 years requires (and I think deserves) repeated listening before public review. Even the negative reviews acknowledge that this is an instrumentalist of immense talent, and if there are any shortcomings I think they're primarily due to the understandable challenge of finding the right musical avenues to display it. So many people seem to want Al to relive the Elegant Gypsy days, but as good as that was he's been there, done that--there were no more places to take that style. DiMeola's current "world music" phase includes such highly structured and multi-textured performances that it's impossible to fully appreciate them on one or two listenings, and I speak from experience on this. I have been a fan of his since the RTF days and continued to buy his work, but actually lost interest in it for a number of years after "Kiss My Axe" in 1991. I bought "Orange & Blue", "Infinite Desire" and "Flesh on Flesh", but listened to them only occasionally and superficially until I heard "Orange & Blue" being played during a set break at (of all things) a Marian McPartland concert. I almost had forgotten I owned the CD, and upon my return home began playing it and Al's other later work almost continuously for several months. I then introduced it to a co-worker who was a big Metheny listener (as am I), and the contrast to that style made me appreciate DiMeola all the more--as good as Metheny can be, DiMeola's talent and versatility are second to none, and "Consequence" is a fine example of that. I challenge any guitar aficionado to listen to Tempest, Red Moon, or the subtle power of the solo in San Marco (Moderne) after the chorus and tell me this guy still can't rip it better than anybody.

Notice that the negative reviews of this recording almost all reference comparison to Al's early days, or make superficial Santana comparisons (which I think have only to do with latin tinged/world music and electric guitar--otherwise there's no comparison). This is more complex and interesting music than either Santana or early Al ever dreamed of--it takes a while to fully sink in.

I have to admit some of the cuts on his new release are not what Al fans expected. However, consider that 31+ years of music that he has inovated, you can't expect the hard driving riffs associated with his first albums. I've been an Al fan since 1975. I've attended more than 10 of his shows, the most recent being his Consequence of Chaos tour and still this musician has not lost his touch. Over the years he has refined has technique, utilizing different modes and style, but hey...this is Al Di. A guitarist that has won more guitar awards than anyone in history. Granted, my personal favorites were his first three or four albums, and than he changed his format which to me was not to my liking. But again, Al likes to experiment, he likes to change up. What you or I may like may appeal to different people. On his new album the first tune "San Marco(moderna)is the Al that I like to hear. His guitar work is in a class by itself. The rest of the tunes I have not really listened to, but one thing I understand about music is that at first if you listen to it, you may not like it. But in time it may grow on ya. You may hear something in it that you originally did not pick up on. In closing Al DiMeola is still my favorite guitarest, no matter how many change ups he may cut on his albums. Just see him live and you will see the Al that we all knew and appreciated. This is just my humble opinion of course. I can only hope that this prodigy of guitar continues to produce more albums, no matter what the format. You can be sure that I will purchase them. Thanx for looking. Sincerely, Don Zelazny

Di Meola has created a fresh sounding, easy to listen to mix on this CD with short interludes making it the kind of music you will enjoy one cut after the other. I've collected his music for years sometimes finding redundancy in the work. While I'm also a fan of his guitar choice, a Paul Reed Smith, no one plays a PRS like Al....I highly recommend fusion fans add this to their stack.

The sticker on the cover of this cd announces its di meola's return to solid body electric guitar. I think this statement led many people think this was going to be Land of the Midnight Sun 2 or Elegant Gypsy 2. It is not and it is not meant to be. This cd is not that sort of electric pyrotechnic showcase, but it is an excellent release - my favorite since Tour de Force. While it has some quieter acoustic moments mixed in, it never dips into "soft jazz" and there is a lot of great electric and accoustic playing here. Red Moon alone would be worth the price, but there are many top notch tunes here and no clunkers. There is no techno synth sounds like Jeff Beck has been doing lately, which is a great relief. This is real guitar playing. Listen to this with the right expectations and I think you will hear a great guitarist, great interplay among outstanding musicians and an excellent recording.

I have been a Meola listener since the age 16 and watched him 4 times. Thus witnessed many Meola ups and downs since then which is quarter of a century. In my book, this album deserves similar (perhaps a notch below)levels with Casino, Tiramisu, Electric Rendez-Vous. It is quite encouraging to see legendary musicians keeping their stance in their art despite today's heavy commercial pressure. Even for this Meola deserves a credit. Perhaps, that is why I was puzzled when I read some of the reviews who, I believe, were unnecessarily harsh to the artist to the extent of naming the album the worst of 30 years. I find this and other comment titled "hopeless" quite arrogant and disrespectful to the artist.

In COC, Meola does what he does best: Solid guitar, complex melodies complemented with beautiful arrangements and yesss.. Chick Corea in Red Moon !! It starts "Santanaesque" but redirects to solid Meola and meets Corea with another "classic solo." It is, by far, my favourite song in the album.. It reminds Songs to Pharoah Kings. My other favourites are Tao and Azucar.

The album may not be the best ever but certainly deserves some respect. I would recommend this album to all "Electric" Meola fans.

Oddly enough, and this is not an attempt to trump the other reviewers, but I'm diggin' "Consequence of Chaos". I mean I really like it! So it's nothing like "Kiss My Axe." It's not suppose to be! It's not suppose to sound like his earlier recordings. At least Al is true to his art form. Most would have sold out in an attempt to appease the so-called "new generation." Not so with Al. This is his signature sound. I like it! It's kickin', it's off the chain, I like it! I've always been an Al Di Meola fan since the early 90's. Now, don't get me wrong, there are some of his recordings that leave me with one eye brow up, scratching my head, wondering what heck he was thinking, but that's Al. He's an artist, he's not perfect. He's entitled. Give the guy a break.

Another greate album from the worlds guitarist number ONE! How or why Reviewer: Rockdoc can give this cd 1 star is tragic! How many times have you listened to the album? I really hasn't much more to add than Reviewer: I. Mustich already has written. Al Di Meola IS a genius, but bare in mind that this kind of music has not much to offer if you really don't listen, and listen good! I strongly feel it's wrong to compare "Consequence of Chaos" with Di Meolas early work. The reason why is that Al Di Meola are constantly changing, and plays more jazz oriented music now than he did before. "Super" guitarists like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and so on...has very much to learn from Di Meola. I will rate this album as a 4 stars +