EXCELLENT AND A HALF
William R. Nicholas | Mahwah, NJ USA | 01/04/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Not many mention Keef Hartley among the great early 1970s horn rock bands--Chicago, BS&T--and this is a real shame, because they are one of the best if not the best.
What makes the Keef Hartley band so great--and a glaring exception to a lot of his horn rock peers--is that his music is strictly geared for what waa then progressive radio. His music shows no interest in that magic, one big 45.
To say the music mixes rock jazz and R&B would be true, but completely undercuts the point. All of this is in the stew, but these arrangements are so good, Hartley's writing and pacing so seemless, he is able to SYNERGIZE all these elements, not just mix them. It is typical for a track to start with a BS&T like R&B feel, and meld into a wha wha, Santana like acid forey. But this never seems forced, is always a fantastic suprise; invarriabley, it works.
When most jazz rock bands were hiding both the jazz and the rock in a run towards AM radio, Keef Heartley put both, and a lot more, on wonderful, proud display."