Image via WikipediaI'm happy to report that John's new CD "To the One" is excellent! Recorded live in the studio with "The 4th Dimension",his band of the last few years,he uses minimal overdubs.The band,drummer Mark Mondesir,bassist Etienne M'Bappe and Allan Holdsworth alum Gary Husband on keyboards and drums is tight and clearly listening to each other. Mclaughlin is using the whammy equipped Godin electric he has favored for a while now,squeezing decidedly modern sounds from his guitar.Only the song "Lost and Found" didn't keep my attention,veering a little too close to the smooth jazz sounds that have snuck onto McLaughlin albums on occasion. Thankfully,at 4:26,it's the shortest song on the album,with the others clocking in between six and eight minutes. The other song with synth upfront is the title track,featuring John on guitar synth. He chooses synth textures straight out of the Joe Zawinul playbook,that to my ears,are absolutely at home in a fusion context. The other more guitar focused songs embody some of Johns more immediate,less cerebral playing,leaving plenty of room for bass and drum features. 2009's "5 Peace Band" project with Chick Corea let everybody know that John McLaughlin is at the top of his game. "To the One' shows he's not slowing down anytime soon!
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