Part Santana and part Traffic and ripe with "Latindian" sonics, New Monsoon has crafted an offering that exceeds typical jam band conventions and also just might be too consistent for its own good. With a slight lineup change, lead guitarist Jeff Miller has taken over most of the lead vocals (not exactly the expressive type) and his limited range only shines the spotlight brighter on the instrumental side of this exceptional septet. In addition to electric guitar, the likes of banjo and mandolin surface courtesy of that "other" lead guitarist, Bo Carper — think of him as the "acoustic guy." Hurtling past the contingent of 6-string melodies and Ben Bernstein's bass attack comes keyboardist Phil Ferlino, known affectionately as "The Pianimal," who demonstrates his sense of subtlety on the beautiful solo piano closer "Falling Out Of Trees." Conguero Brian Carey takes the nod from Raul Rekow while Rajiv Parikh works his magic on his tablas. No doubt light's been cast already on this issue but those last two gents really need their levels jacked up; when things get raw and loud their handiwork (no pun intended) tends to get lost (listen to how prominent Rekow and his percussive compadres usually are in Santana). Vocals populate nearly every track and I can't help but feel there should have been a few more instrumentals. The title track, "Journey Man" and "Another Night In Purgatory" are all standout cuts but previous converts and the newly initiated where New Monsoon's reputable live performances are concerned will settle for the full course.
Oh, and the real Santana connection here: [co-producer] Michael Shrieve!
Tracklist:
1. Journey Man
2. Trust In Me
3. The Sound
4. Sunrise
5. Dark Perimeter
6. Another Night In Purgatory
7. Broken Picture Window
8. Rock Springs Road
9. Bridge Of The Gods
10. Hold On For Now
11. Falling Out Of Trees
Total time – 53:53
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