Customer Reviews

Go

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Daryl Stuermer is known for his impressive stints with Genesis as a touring member as well as Phil Collins' long-time guitarist for nearly three decades. Much of Collins' pop hits were played by this amazing guitarist, but unfortunately, Stuermer has always been underrated, garnering little to no recognition for his talents as a guitar player.

Go is Steurmer's first album on his new label Inside Out, and sees him delving deeply into his past fusion work and blending it with the melodic aesthetic of his more recent output. It is an incredibly powerful combination to say the least. Taking the smoothest sides of Eric Johnson's tone and combining it with the highly challenging rhythmic groove of Joe Satriani, the majority of the songs are still characterized by his fusion guitars. Unlike his previous efforts though, Go is a more balanced and diverse record. It is filled with lush keys and prominent bass to underpin his ultra-clean melodic signature on "Striker"; a more rocky and somewhat eastern-tinged feel on "Masala Mantra" (sort of like a marriage between Far Eastern scales and Indian eclectism), and the perfect mix of fusion and groove-inflected rock on "Greenlight", which evokes a song where Eric Johnson and Al Di Meola duet fiercely within the context of a beautifully written compostion. Keys have a stronger impact on the moody "Dream in Blue", complete with stunning percussion and a slowly building guitar arrangement. "Breaking Point" is again like a neat Joe Satriani track that would feel at home on his self-titled album. Stuermer's understanding of rhythm and fluency is at its best here, climaxing with a spine-chilling guitar solo. "Urbanista" is without doubt the album's most progressive piece, starting out with cool funky rhythm before venturing into 70's prog, chock full of melodic warmth and energetic riffery as well as liquidy guitar lines. The ending of the song is particularly striking, with amazing eastern rhythms, sizzling keyboards, and towering fretwork coming to the fore. What can't go unmentioned is the moving ballad "Heavy Heart", which is a nice break from the fusiony material.

The band behind Stuermer are John Calarco on drums, Eric Hervey on bass, Kostia on keyboards, and Leland Sklar on bass with whom he has played for years in Phil Collins' band. At this point, it seems unlikely that these songs will be taken on stage, seeing that Stuermer will be busy with the Genesis reunion tour coming up, but one can still hope.

First off a bit about me, i have been listening to music now since the late 70's, everything from abba to zztop and i know good music when i hear it. Daryl's latest album has quickly become one of my all time favorites and thats in a collection of over 1,200 albums aquired thru the years.

All ten instrumental songs on this disc are just great and to boot a nice varition between them, everything from straight ahead rock, to prog rock, to jazz fusion. His style reminds me of Joe Satriani with a bit more jazz fusion thrown in. The production is crystal clear and his guitars are up front like they should be. The other other players on the disc hold their own quite well and overall makes for a very tight band.

I have had this disc in my car for weeks now and just don't feel like playing anything else, its that good. No slow or downer stuff, just uplifting spirited guitar playing that will bring a smile to your face over and over again, do yourself a favor and if you only buy a couple of dics this year, make this one of them.

TC

It was so refreshing to hear Daryl return to a more fusion-styled recording. He is an incredible guitarist and this CD really shows what he can do. I also enjoyed his past solo efforts where he chose a heavier jazz influence. However, his playing just fits so well and seems to push him a bit further when he is playing things more Genesis/Jazz-Fusion styled. This is his best solo effort since his first "Steppin Out" back in the 80s. Highly recommended.

Being a fan of most of the world's guitar greats, I was surprised when I heard Daryl for the first time last week. How could I have missed this guy? I ran across a couple of tunes from this album on Pandora, and had to buy it immediately. He reminds me of a cross between Al Di Meola and Allan Holdsworth. The compositions are well written, and his playing and tone are fantastic. One of the best albums I have bought this year. You won't be disappointed!

"Greenlight" is an interesting, catchy and melodic track, the only song on this album which I rate with 5 stars, and the first one to download. Other memorable tunes on this album are "Dream in Blue" and "Heavy Heart", which both rate 4 stars from me. The remaining songs sort of blended together as my ears grew numb from the endless droning of the electric guitar.

Since when he played with Jean Luc Ponty i became his fan! This CD is a confirmation: He is a great master!

Daryl Stuermer has been in the stratosphere of the music scene for over 25 years. His new album "Go!" is his seminal creation of all things energetic jazz fusion with a bright, uplifting feel. You can sense all the influences that has shaped his music: his admiration for Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass and John McLaughlin; his band experience with Jean Luc Ponte and long term relationship as tour and studio guitarist for Genesis and Phil Collins. His scores are each originals that, after hearing them once, you can replay constantly and never tire of. Marsala Montra is an outstanding score and a perfect example Daryls compositional style. Firstly, he launches into the music without any tedious ramping up. Rather his introduction is the cleaver finger play that is the song's chorus, so tightly orchustrated with his entire band you would swear one person is playing all instruments. The interludes are jazz statements punctuated with incredible shreds. As the chorus is repeated, Daryl fills any minute gaps with awesome arpeggio variations. This can be said for most of the tunes on this CD which have their own disticnt personality. My favorite is Urbanista; the longest cut on the CD is favored with Carribean accents. Heavy Heart is soulful with it's many open chords while Daryl explores the full range of the fretboard with calls and returns. Miestro Stuermer is one of the best jazz guitarists and versitle performers of our time. This is a must have CD for jazz fusion lovers as well as rockers.

Daryl is a talented guitarist who has played on many spectacular records and has been a permanent touring member of Genesis for a long time. This is the first solo disc I've heard by him and it's decent, however, while some songs are good, others aren't as good, so for me this is mixed bag. "Go" has an abundance of guitar solos and Daryl's playing sounds similar to a combination of Johnson/Holdsworth, which is not bad by any means, I only wish he would find his own voice. Anyway, some people will love this disc and you should check it out if you like instrumental fusion with lots of guitar work, but in my opinion there are better choices in this genre.