FESTIVAL!!!!!!!!
Andre' S Grindle | Bangor,ME. | 06/12/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"George Duke has spent most of his career offering up what I
call hybrid music-an upbeat mixture of funk,R&B,rock,fusion and
Brazillian music.And of course 'Follow The Rainbow" is absolutely no exception.Duke was in his prime in 1979 and aside
from the instrumental Brazillian jazz of "Festival" and the
gentle ballads "Say That You Will","Corine" and "Sunrise" the
album relys pretty heavy on uptempo,funky grooves such as the
highly EWF inflected "Party Down",the ferverant "Funkin' For The
Thrill",the joyous P-Funk of "I Am For Real",the smooth
"Straight From The Heart" and an instrumental the 'reaches' back
to a certain past triumph in "Pluck".So even ammong the ballads
and funk tunes,genres that all too easily slip into a formuliac
wasteland,are all given a thorough exploration here as Duke's
fine keyboard and synthesizer work amply explores the many musical worlds he chooses to visit.So in a nutshell this is one
of those albums whose cover is a very good visual description of
the music contained within.So if you see this CD cover,you know
you'll be in for a colorful,fun ride!"
DUKEY'S STICK FINALLY HITS IT HOME WITH THIS ONE !
Patrick Frierson | 02/11/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I saw quite a few of these reviews that said that this isn't George Duke's best effort. I can't compare this album to his more jazz oriented albums because I never heard those. I would say that this is his best R&B album.
This is the album where all the r&b elements he's been experimenting with since "Just for You" reached its apex and came together for one consistenly engaging record. "Reach for It", "Don't let Go", and "Master of the Game" all had their moments of brillance, but those albums were bogged down by a lot of filler tracks that's not really all that memorable.
Follow the Rainbow is a bag that's full of goodies. Creatively, the songs don't seem all that far fecthed since the Parliament and Earth, Wind, and Fire influences are still obvious throughout the record. However duke and his cast of musicians and singers has the personality and the songs to make these contemporary styles their own.
They also take a number of chances on this album that helps make this disc a masterpiece (especially during the the second half of the album). "Straight from the Heart" is a cool little fusion of Soul and Pop/ Rock, "Festival" continues the carribean styled jazz/funk that hardcore fans know him for. "Corine" is a smooth laid back midtempo burner that that crooses the line between Quiet Storm R&B and easy listening jazz. The exprimental tracks are equally as delightful as the R&B tracks and help give the album a bit of variety.
So even if people don't think this is George Duke's best overall album, you have to admit that track for track, this is his best R&B album.
Any music fan or old school head owe it to themselves to "Party down" to this record!
"
Follow the Rainbow...
D. S. HARDEN | L.A.,CA USA | 01/23/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I too, waited patiently for this album (I received my copy in 2002 - but just now have chosen to comment on it!) At the time, I paid $26/US (Import Price) to get it from CDNOW before they merged with Amazon.com! I like the entire album, but my favorites are "Say that you Will' and 'Straight from the Heart." I can play those two songs all day long! Some folks are selling it for less, if the copy is good, snap it up! Five stars!"
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1
