Lu7: Efflorescence

Recalling but not quite catching up with Stomu Yamashta and a great many other fusion bands, Lu7 plays it doggedly safe from start to finish. All the players operate under the influence of someone else, especially the guitarist Kurihara who here displays a detailed understanding of Alan Holdsworth's technique, circa his UK days, while utterly lacking the edge. And while keyboard player Umegaki might also be cited by the Emperor Josef as playing "too many notes", it just might be worth considering some tightening up on the range of the glissando at least once every other track, just for contrast.

Enthusiastic and occasionally stilted, this is an alarmingly and squeaky clean, completely risk-free record that is very competent, very sunny and very derivative. If fusion is your thing you'll know way too much about the genre to find anything here you haven't already heard elsewhere. If you're new to fusion, consider starting your exposure some miles and years closer to the source.

Track Listing
1) 12th Tree
2) Blue Planet
3) Crimson Carpet
4) Nusa Dua
5) Kesaran Patharan
6) Sonatine I (Modere)
7) Sonatime II (Mouvement de Menuet)
8) Sonatine III (Anime)
9) Flying Seed (Landscape 37)
10) Soft Nothings
11) UT06 (bonus track)

Added: February 2nd 2007
Reviewer: Kerry Leimer
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2268
Language: english

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