Customer Reviews

Is What It Is

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

 

 

I heard some of Mike's other music on the radio, so I read all the reviews and bought this album unheard. The musicianship is superb, but...I've tried to sit down and really listen to it, but I get bored and get up and start doing something, and the next thing I know, it's over, and I don't remember any of it. Must be me: everyone else loves it.

This is what it is what is it... I mean, this really IS Mike Stern's best work. All tunes are almost great more or less.
"Swunk" is a quite typical Mike Stern rock/fusion tune, "A little luck" is almost beautiful Stern-piece, third song is always ballad "What I meant to say" is however quite boring tune but Tracks 4-8 are just Greats! "Showbiz" is nice funky humorsong and "Believe it" is really good bluestune with very beautiful and tuff solo, "Wherever you are" is ballad again, but much better than "What I meant to say". Nice basswork by Harwie Swartz, "Ha ha hotel" is maybe Stern's best song of this kind. Crazy melody, high tempo, great basslines and realy tuff guitarsolo and saxsolo by Bob Malach. "Signs" is perhaps Mike's best song ever, all Mike's best elements could be heard and guitarsolo is amazing! Melody and bassline are just fine and doesn't need any "specialharmony", great composition! Last song "55 dive" is again more typical jazzypiece but still quite good theme and good solos by Mike and Bob.
If you haven't heard this CD yet, I give you just one tip: Buy it today!

MIKE STERN, MICKAEL BRECKER AND DENNIS CHAMBERS !!!!!!!!THESE GUYS RULE

Look, I was reading all those reviews, when I thought I really had to add a point here about Mike's music, to make anyone (I'm saying ANYONE) love it.

How would I advise you to enjoy Is What It Is?... Well... Just relax in an armchair, boost off-limits your fine-tuned stereo set... Program tracks #2, #6, and #8... Close your eyes...

Then feel Mike's music lifting you up gently above the clouds. Imagine you're riding a jet of some supersonic capabilities (but it's really not the point here). Imagine there's a button on the board you may press.

So, wait for Mike's smooth shifts towards pure crystal and aerial sounds he's the only one to reach with the distortion pedal this way... Wait for him to enter the most delicate, the clearest, the richest, and the most powerful solos you'll ever have listened to so far...

Push the button at that time, as Mike invites you to... Lift off to the stratosphere, and ride outer space...

If you loved this journey, turn to Tell Me, and Pages, on Mike's Between The Lines album, and to If You Say So, on Odds Or Evens, and discover what the best jazz-rock guitarist has to offer: the most beautiful aerial music ever.

Is What It Is.