Excellent Pop Jazz
Richard Carder | Gainesville, FL | 03/06/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In a way, this album is more full and complete than anything Marco has done with the Duo. The heavily distorted guitar-esque organs are still here, but so also is a heavy dose of baby grand not often heard with the Duo. "Bus Ride" or "Atari" could have been Duo songs, but what this album adds is beautiful mellow piano odysseys like "Record Book." The opening two songs are incredibly strong, as are the closing few. "Atari" and "The Real Morning Party" stray from the feel of the album I was getting after the first two songs, though. All in all, if you like the Duo, you will like this album. You may even like it more."
Surprisingly dull
The Delite Rancher | Phoenix, Arizona | 07/07/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)
"In light of the rest of Marco Benevento's body of work, "Invisible Baby" falls short. What happened? While there are no power solos, the primary issue is that both the compositions and melodies are lackluster. There is the sense that just about anybody could have written and performed this music and a musician of Benevento's caliber could play this in his sleep. Along these lines, one of the great bassists of our time is on the personnel roster, yet Reed Mathis is barely audible. Many of the tunes would have made an interesting thirty second sequence within a larger, more complex composition but at five minutes, many of these songs drag. Now music doesn't have to be complex to sound good, but this sort of dull-drum simplicity is uninteresting. For these reasons, "Invisible Baby," works best in the background. The one highlight is 'The Real Morning Party.' A fun piece with hooks, this is the only celebration of the joy that is Marco Benevento's signature sound. On the plus side, there are times when Benevento puts the keyboard aside to play piano. He never performs in an entirely acoustic environment, but for variety sake, it is rewarding to hear Marco Benevento play with a different voice. In the end, the studio discography for this band began with a slow start. Fortunately, a learning curve happened and the follow-up is delightful. Indeed, the potential consumer should put their ear up to the slipcase of "Me Not Me." It can be heard whispering "Me Not Invisible Baby.""
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1