Customer Reviews

Deep

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This 2000 release although not as good as their latest release "Time Crunch" it comes in a close second.
"Deep" contains many rock, blues, jazz-fusioned flavored tracks. They do a cover of Van Halen's "Mean Streets" with bassist Billy Sheehan wailing out an unbelievable bass groove. They also get help from Toto veteran and guitar legend Steve Lukather and smoking vocals by Glenn Hughes on "Things Ain't Like They Used To Be" one of the many highlights on the disc.
With the trademark keyboards of John Novello and drum veteran Dennis Chambers this is a must have for fusions fans out there.
Get it!

Like a down and dirty version of Emerson Lake & Palmer, Niacin mix elements of what made ELP great, with elements of other early Prog 'n Blues bands such as Family and Audience. The track "Things Ain't What They Used To Be" would have been a staple on 70's radio if it had been released 25-30 years ago. Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple) vocals and Steve Lukather's (Toto) guitars definitely add a nice touch to the sound. I'd love to see these guys do some more tracks in this same vein on the next album. (C'mon Magna Carta, get them all together for another record) Plus a nifty cover of Van Halen's "Mean Streets"

If you liked the other Niacin releases, you will no doubt enjoy this one. The playing is top notch as always, but my suggestion for the next cd would be for Novello to vary his keyboard sounds a bit. I know that the B3 is a big part of Niacin, but some more modern patches would open up a new dimension for the band. One thing is for sure: I would love to see this band in concert.

Wow! , I have to say that this cd is awesome. Billy Sheehan happens to be my favorite bass player of all time. A few years back i was informed of his new project Niacin and I immediatley got the 1st of 4 cds. Ever cd seems to be getting better. If you like sick bass lines with Dennis Chambers ripping on the drums and John Novello glueing it all together - you'll love this cd. Listen to the sound bites, a must for anyone who loves GOOD Music. Kudos to Billy and the boys for another great CD. ~Dave

This is the sophomore effort from progressive rock all stars Niacin. Generally I like this album better than their debut. The songwriting is more evolved overall and the music is generally better. All three musicians are still at the top of their game and there is plenty of great keys, bass, and drums to satisfy anyone who enjoys this mix of prog, blues, jazz, fusion. The band even do a cover of Van Halen's Mean Streets with an interesting version. Also guesting on the almost 8 minute, Things Ain't What They Used To Be are guitarist Steve Lukather (Toto) and vocalist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Trapeze, Black Sabbath). Hughes has a great voice for this type of material and I really love the song. This is another good Niacin release.

After their impressive, albeit uneven debut, and their bland follow-up High Bias, Niacin hits their stride with a solid collection of rock/funk/jazz/prog songs. The addition of Glenn Hughes and Steve Lukather on Things Aint What they used to Be doesn't work, as its not a strong song, and their cover of Mean Streets doesn't work, except for Sheehan's killer bass solo. Aside from that, the rest of the songs have a strong drive and rock hard, especially Bootleg Jeans and Blue Mondo. Subsequent releases are also consistent and strong, but this was the first excellent Niacin CD, where they find their groove and write and perform an entire CD of consistently good material. Dennis Chambers totalitarian drums are a delight!

Ok, I'll keep it short instead of my usual "War and Peace"
method of review. If you're reading this then you probably already own something by this Supergroup. If you can't see paying the extra cash for 1 bonus cut, "RY-30", then do yourself
a big favor & buy the Domestic release. Niacin just happen to be the finest 3 peice "supergroup"(a 60's-70's term I know)that do
all their fine performing without a Geetar! 3 virtusos giving you
what you paid for! This is pure dynamite & w/Chambers & Sheehan
shakin" your stereo w/their playing, Novello lays down the melody!

My 1st suggestion would be for anyone owning a dvd player to IMMEDIATELY BUY the incomparable, "Blood Sweat & Beer's" dvd recorded
at Tokyo's Blute Note club! This is the FINEST music DVD available PERIOD!The Japanese really know how to capture a great band
like Niacin's sound "LIVE"! 10 stars! If you don't own a dvd player
then, BUY ONE just to hear/see this dvd, you can then use it(the player)to see what you're missing. Back to this cd, it burns & should please every person who truly understands music! Then buy
EVERY NIACIN cd, because you won't know what you've been missing until you hear them! BUY IT-BUY IT!!(And this was 1 of my short reviews! Check out my reviews of the "Blood Sweat & Beer's" dvd
or a review I wrote for a Planet X cd) You'll LOVE Niacin,
Esteban Munari

Many of the songs have interesting bass lines, but that won't sustain the songs for more than a minute or so. The organ noodling is pretty bland, with mostly similar draw-bar settings to my ear, little use of the hammond's percussive capabilities. One standout track is #5, which is a bit more progressive and has a killer bass solo.

Rhythm section is superb/outstanding. However, the song composition seems to progress little past a sometimes, somewhat interesting intro. Don't get me wrong, this type of three piece concept could be incredible with a little more imagination/inspiration; however 'deep' seems to have no sense of the melodic invovled. Matter of fact, the keyboard playing seems at most times to be nothing more than uninspired, second rate "jamming" with very little forethought involved. They have done much better and can do it again.