Search - Incognito :: Adventures in Black Sunshine

Great disk, with one exception

J. Verkuilen | New York, NY United States | 03/13/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I really liked this album. The performances are great, the recording is very nice and organic, and vintage gear like the '70s Rhodes sounds better and better with well-done modern production. And Maysa Leak is, of course, amazing.



Standout tracks: Well on an Incognito, standing out too much isn't really the point--the whole thing is supposed to be a fairly seamless experience IMO. However, some tracks are better than others. Don't Turn My Love Away has some really fantastic performance from Maysa and a way-cool between-verses riff that can only be played by musicians who are as good as are here (the real test would be live). Autumn Song, is, IMO the one where it all comes together. This song is Dan-worthy. The instrumental 25th Chapter is also fun.



Sadly there is one glaring exception. Listen to the Music (a cover of the old Doobie Brothers song) just doesn't work for me. I don't much care for the original song but the cover reveals that it's not that great a song and was basically carried by the original performance. (There are a number of "classic" songs like this.) Furthermore, in the context of the *album* it really breaks up the flow. Sadly Autumn Song is immediately followed by the worst. When I listen to it on the computer, I program Listen out. This dings one star...."