Compare High Treason

Despite the lip-service paid to and -- particularly the playing of legends such as -- by the late-'60s countercultural scene, few of its bands actually attempted to translate the interest into music. The sole album from , however, was steeped in the genre, thanks in large part to leader and schooled keyboard whiz (check the -like Baroque progressions of ) . marries extensive interplay with a darkly atmospheric type of that took its cues, right down to the shared coed vocals, from . The music ultimately isn't as accomplished as anything in that band's catalog, but it is for want of distinctive songwriting, not because lacked the chops or ideas to compete with the top-flight artists of the day. has musicianship to spare, a profusion of adventuresome moments. But at just six numbers, it is very much an album that puts musical skills before songs. Vocalists sound much more at ease on the funky of the finest actual song on the album, than they do on the material (the embarrassing scat interpretation of for instance). , in particular, tends to over-sing at times, presumably in an effort to sound more like . The instrumentalists suffer no such problem. On the final two cuts, the band delves all the way into straight during extended instrumental passages with electric results. But both also highlight the problematic nature of the album. As wonderful as the music can be -- and each song has scintillating flashes -- there simply is nothing to take away except the memory of the outstanding playing. ~ Stanton Swihart