Sean Trane
Fifth or sixth album from CC’s Elektric Band (and to be honest, not their best, Paint The World features a fairly different line-up, since only Marienthal is from the usual EB suspects; but then again the cover does specify this is a EBII project Actually, the result is rather uninteresting but doesn’t really disserves the EB name: uninspired music, bad still-80’s-ish production and instruments, despite the fact that this was recorded in 93. I mays sound harsh, but this is the kind of album that has not aged well, IMHO. I’m not too familiar with the other participants, only drummer Novak really rings a bell, but I have no doubt heard the other in different projects.
Don’t get me wrong, despite the technical (prod and instr) and artistic choices (the compositions and lack of involvement, IMHO), the actual playing of this new quintet is excellent and the musical entente between all concerned is rather good, but there are times where there is sufficient energy to make the music interesting, but at other times, it lacks the fire and the thing is all too conventional to avoid boredom, despite a certain cosmic ambiances in passages. Chick’s choice of keyboards is not always well advised and might even sound dated for the times. Sonically, we’re still fairly 80’sish, like the Yellowjackets or Vital Information could’ve been still at the times. You won’t catch me saying that the album is expandable, but it is certainly anything but essential.