Customer Reviews

Resonator

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

 

 

Tony Levin is a talented and interesting musician, don't have to tell you of his extraordinary bass playing and creativity. The guy is and has been involved in such great works. But we are grading a recording here, not a lifetime achievement. Here is what it is; the compositions, while tight, are weak and lack any magic. The vocals are bad, and the lyrics are worse, bordering on cheezy ('what would jimi do' ! and thats not event the worst of it). There are a few musical and lyrical passages here and there that I really like. Even though you have heard the Sabre Dance in million different flavors, this track is really cool, enough not to give up the album entirely. The track 'Break it Down' even stuck a bit in parts. But as a whole, it may never find its way back to the disc player again (I spun it three times). I look forward to seeing Tony and his band at Nearfest in late June, and I'm sure some of these tunes will come alive when played live. Sorry though, the CD is not very good. Best love to Tony and all the fans.

Sure, this will offend the faithful, but in reality, Levin is much stronger in a supporting roll than as a leader, be it head writer or lead singer - these are not and have never been his strongest points. Back when lennon asked him not to play like McCartney, it must have struck Levin as funny. One can only imagine the number of snappy ripostes that could have been directed at the world's luckiest rhythm guitarist. All these years later, Levin is his own man and in many combinations is the stellar player. He is here as well. You can not help but be awed by his chops. He digs deeper than anyone, save possibly Foley McCready, and God only knows where he is these days.
It's just that Levin is not a great lyricist, nor a great vocalist. He has something to say, that in itself is worth hearing, but he ain't Belew. or McCartney.
I like this CD, but it is a bit like liking Adrian Belew's CDs: they are good, worth a listen, but how much stays with you, I don't know. This will not supplant the work Levin has done with Bruford at any point in any band, YES, KC, BLUE, nor with Gabriel. In some ways, it gives you an angle on what he brings to Crim, but that's a function of the dialectic between the whole and the sum of the parts. It adds up here, just.

This CD was released in 2006 and is 51 minutes long. I am not sure what Amazon is showing with a 39 minute MP3 download of Break It Down. This track is really just 7 minutes long. The sound quality is excellent, very clear (in a hard, metal kind of way) with great dynamic range.

Levin's back up band includes Larry Fast (from Peter Gabriel back up band days) and Pat Moretta (from King Crimson days). Andrian Belew does a guess stint on one track and you can really pick him out.

I found the compositions to be exciting, entertaining and innovative. There is a hard driving, metallic quality to them. But, it isn't heavy metal.

It is hard music to explain. It reminds me a lot of Jeff Beck's latest stuff, only a little bit more lyrical and melodic and a little less hard. It also reminds me of Ray Manzarek's Love Her Madly and Francis Monkman's Jam.

I would give this between four and five stars, but went for five stars since there is little new great albums. The only downsides a few downsides, including Levin's vocals. They aren't bad, but they have a little bit of an annoying nasal quality to them. They remind me of the Scottish guy who sits next to me at work and drones along to songs on his IPOD. The other downside is the inclusion of the Sabre Dance. It is fun and lively, but out of place with the rest of the material on the CD. It really disrupts the mood.

This album seems to divide a lot of Levin fans. It is very different from his previous solo efforts. The album is full of vocal tunes, with Levin himself handling the singing duties. The band is most of the same people who back Peter Gabriel and have played with Levin for years. Levin's voice is nothing spectacular, but seems to fit the music well, and I like the way he uses it here. Levin's lyrics also are a bone of contention with fans, with many really trashing them. Personally I like most of the lyrics on the disc. Levin does not take himself too seriously and I find songs like "Throw The God A Bone", and "What Would Jimi Do" to be clever tracks. Levin also includes several good ballads, some great instrumental work, a remake of "Utopia" from one of his earlier albums this time with vocals and lyrics, and a cover of the classical piece "Saber Dance" which is a cool update. Overall I like this album a lot, but mileage will vary depending on what you like. If you are looking for an album full of instrumental progressive rock, this may not be for you, but if you can give Levin a little rope in the vocal department you will probably like this album.

Tony Levin, for the first time in his career, sings lead vocals with his very own band. Usually a supportive session artist, Tony Levin has finally crossed the barrier in to very personal solo territory, and- himself stating that he is not the most powerful vocalists- has let down his walls and sang words that mean a lot to him. With his soft vocals, and pulsating funk finger and liquid fretless bass lines, Tony Levin is beyond categorization, although his voice and fretless lines definitely remind me of Sting at times. The songs themselves are very strong, and although not all are tremendous, the album itself is a very solid whole, in my opinion.

The first track, Break It Down, is a wonderful song, one of the strongest on the album. With a funk finger bassline and some fretless back-up, Tony sings wonderfully, and Jerry Marotta's backing voice and drumming compliment Tony's playing perfectly, as do the twin keyboards of Larry Fast and Pete Levin, and the stunning guitar work of Jesse Gress. Track two, Places To Go, is also a good song, with a lot of pulsating bass work with stunning pitch harmonics and nice drum accompaniment. Throw The God A Bone, the next track on the album, is one of my least favorite on the album, but that doesn't mean that its a bad song that people couldn't enjoy- just not a huge fan of the lyrics, and the music isn't the best on the album. However, Levin redeems himself from that track with Utopia, a song from Waters Of Eden that now has lyrics and a more radio-friendly sound to it. Definitely love that track- the full band singing the words makes this easy encore material for Tony, and one of the strongest tracks on the album.

Next comes Beyond My Reach, a great song featuring Tony on bass and vox and Pete on keys. A jazzy number, the song is truly great, and is also very Sting-esque. Then comes Shadowland, a song that would've fit on Pieces Of The Sun, Levin's best album. The song features great keyboard work, Jesse's guitar pyrotechnices, and Levin's classic bass. Crisis Of Faith is cringe-worthy, but still a fun song. Next comes the best track on the album, What Would Jimi Do?, a tribute to Hendrix, and truly a jamming track, worth the price of the albums- even Levin's vocals are amazing.

Sabre Dance is next, and is confusing to me. I'm not really sure what the reasoning was behind including this on the album, as its pretty boring, with the keyboard part sounding very bored, and the song itself just chugging along likes its being forced. The intro is neat, but after that, its just plain boring. However, Fragile As A Song is fantastic, a piano piece by Levin that he sings on, and its one of the highlights of the record.

So, if you can deal with Throw The God A Bone, Crisis Of Faith and Sabre Dance, the weaker songs, the rest of the album is quite amazing, and is one of Tony's best works. Always ambitious, Levin has created an album that everyone can find something in, and is truly one of the greatest musicians in the world today.

The brilliant playing by Tony, and his stellar band made up of some rock legends in their own right, is an auditory party. Jerry Marotta's drums are the perfect counterpoint to Tony's tunes, and Larry Fast and Pete Levin add the synth and other keys to fill out the elements that Tony and Jesse Gress lay down. These great players bring it on this CD in spades. Tony sings on all but one of these, and it's great to hear this constant backup vocalist shine on his own.

Break It Down is a great rhythmic piece, about figuring out the deeper stuff in a life.

Places To Go - home means lots of things to lots of people, depending on who, or what, you are. Whether Mars, Boston or heaven, sometimes you just have to visit where you came from.

Throw The God A Bone - truly funny commentary on coexisting with not just animals, but in a way, ourselves.

Utopia - this makes me cry every time, I have to admit. As we look toward what comes after this life, we look at loss, and what it can mean, even as 'the last guitar' is heard.

Beyond My Reach explores further this theme, concluding that 'the only peace we'll know, is letting go.'

Shadowland - an amazing piece of work, composed by all five members of Tony's band. I know I am a sucker for an ascending chord structure, but this is incredibly brilliant and inspiring. I already have a full blown video in my head for this song.

Crisis Of Faith - Tony's voice goes electronic in this experimental piece on living in this century.

What Would Jimi Do - Tony's ode to one of his early heroes, Jimi Hendrix, with a hearty serving of admiration.

Sabre Dance - This is a jazzy, rocky combination of loving Khatchaturian's famous piece and having fun with it.

Fragile As A Song - a gentle musing on how life can change in a day, in a heartbeat, and how unlikely combinations make life more rich.

Do yourself a favor. Get the CD. Really, you will play it over and over, just like - I have.

I will attempt to "Break It Down". Buy this CD! This is the most interesting piece of work yet from Tony and the former guys from Peter Gabriel's original band (with the exception of Jesse Gress, Todd Rundgren's guitarist). Tony Sings! What a surprise! I was expecting another mostly instrumental CD. He does a pretty decent job too as his voice seems to fit the material very well. All the tracks are great and Tony's bass playing only keeps getting better. He is the best - period.