Customer Reviews

Illusions

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

 

 

The man is a complete musician : good songwriter, arranger, producer and...performer. Wether he hoes on the Grand piano or through his massive samples library, Duke has fully integrated sixty years of Jazz music into one album. Some of the songs are pure jazz rock, instrumental beauties(specially "No greater love" with Dennis Chambers on drums), some others are funk grooves with vocals, but lean towards nicely harmonised melody lines (check "411" and "money"). If you like Quincy Jones's "Back on the block", then you'll love this CD.

George Duke is unbelievable on keyboard. For those who like smooth r+b lyrical content with hot funky jazz music for support, this is good easy listening music.

If theres one little problem with "Illusions" it's that it
tried way too hard to blend contemporary,plastic drum machines
with Duke's everpresent moogs and electric piano grooves but that's only a minor complaint-Duke is in pretty fine form on
"500 Miles To Go",the tital track,"Life And Times" and the unusally topical "Buffalo Soldiers",featuring the narration in
fine jazz-rap style.The beats tend to have the influence of
contemporary jazz and R&B artists like Rachell Farrell (who is on
this album),Diane Reeves (ALSO here) and even a little TLC (not
here) but considering all these acts have a funky foundation AND
all the musical underpinnings provided by Duke are in full
effect "Illusions" comes closest to fully recapturing George
Duke's late 70's funk-styled music then anything to date.Worth
putting time into!

It is a Great CD, it has just the right kind of music to kick back and lissen to, or tun it up and shake the house.

Love this session by George Duke. I had it before I loaned it out and I had to have it again. Condition was good.

George Duke is a very underrated musician...Yet, he can do it all!!! He gets very little airplay anymore and is virtually unknown except to those who can appreciate this type of music. My favorite cuts on this CD are C'est La Vie, Life And Times, and Illusions. This CD stands out as one of his best!!!

george duke would have to be one of the foremost innovators of cool emotional music that touches the soul.