FunkFreak75 After breaking out on his own solo career the previous year with the fairly-successful The Essence of Mystery the respected Jazz-Rock Fusion drummer strives for more of the Soul/R&B market.

A1. "I've Given You My Love" (4:43) opens up like an ABBA dance tune before quickly veering into the funkier pre-Disco realm. Alphonze's synth solo takes the first extended solo, then pianos, rhythm guitar, and horn blasts punctuate a bridge after the chorus to return to the verse and start over--with the lame synthesizer continuing to solo/announce the melodies (as if it were a human voice delivering lyrics). It's good, solid, definitely danceable and melodic, just not as interesting as--more like the music a TV talk show band would use between guests or to introduce a guest. It's definitely better in the final two minutes when organ and horns are more prominent. (8.875/10)

A2. "You Don't Know How Much I Love You" (4:40) opens with a drum beat like Barry White's "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More, Baby" but then blends in some Marvin Gaye What's Going On before turning into something more like "Love's Theme" (with lyrics). This is definitely Al's poorest vocal performance on the album: there are way too many moments in which his pitch fails to stay in key. (8.375/10)

A3. "I Gotta Have You" (2:46) a song that plays out as a kind of humorous cheeky Stevie Wonder-like song. Very simple chord and rhythm structure over which Al sings the title lyric with a few add ons for emphasis. The dude is feeling sex- deprived. Same drum sound, same voice sound issues, and same synth drilling teeth from behind. (8.5/10)

A4. "My Life Is So Blue" (4:37) a song that is set up to be a little more classy, even elegant, with both it's construction, sound palette, and Gino Vannelli-like vocal styling. High marks for effort, demerits for coming across with too much schlock. (8.875/10)

A5. "Funky Snakefoot" (3:45) great drumming, great bass playing from Gary King, and great clavinet play from Harry Whitaker open this one, quickly establishing a very refreshing groove. Trumpet, piano, and trombone solos from Randy Brecker and Barry Rogers, respectively, in the second minute are brief but powerful. Andy Gadsden's saxophone in the fourth, also before the song fades out. Very high-spirited and fun! Easily the best song on the album (perhaps the only one). (9.3333/10)

A6. "My Little Rosebud" (2:02) a very openly tongue-in-cheek Country-Western parody. Mark Horowitz' pedal steel guitar and banjo play are actually quite impressive. (4.25/5)

B1. "A Permanent Love" (4:20) more upbeat, uptempo soulful dance music over which Alphonze sings. The dude shows a little passion and feeling for this lyric; with the addition of the horn sections accents, the music sounds a little like contemporary Stevie Wonder. The lyrics are definitely meant to be the focal point of this one but the horn section is fun (would be fun to be a part of). (8.875/10)

B2. "The Beggar" (4:35) funky synth bass line opens this before cool, solid drum beat joins in. Electric piano, synth, organ, and Alphonze's voice join in. Too bad A's Eddie Murphy-like voice is recorded, engineered and mixed so oddly throughout this album (far into the back--almost muted). Again, the lyrics are meant to be the star of this song--much in the vein of popular social commentarist Gil Scott-Evans, methinks. The song is faded out right in the thick of A's rather impassioned delivery of lyrics. How odd!(8.75/10)

B3. "Oh Yes I Do" (4:35) bluesy-R&B that sounds a bit like The Temptations "Can't Get Next to You." Al starts singing right from the start: once again sounding very much like the voices Eddie Murphy would make popular on his Saturday Night Live musical skits, only, I don't think Al is trying to be comical. The Steohen Winwood blues organ chord progression keeps things organized as Al uses his drums and favorite synth sound to rouse a little more energy over the final two minute's instrumental passage. (8.75/10)

B4. "Tara, Tara" (3:35) nice drumming and keyboard work over this song that mimics Billy Preston, Stevie Wonder and predicts K.C. and the Sunshine Band a little. The drumming is impressive, I just wish it had been recorded and mixed a little better. (8.875/10)

B5. "Where I'm Drumming From" (1:20) sounds like someone fooling around on an early drum machine: rapid fire here, there, everywhere! (Is this where the sound was recorded from to make my first drum machine's programmed sounds?) It's as if a guitarist turned on the record button and just proceeded to spit out 90 seconds of runs. (4/5)

B6. "Ism" (3:08) opens with drums as if to impress--and they're flanged! Then big bombastic jazz chords are played over the continued impressive drumming with synth banks, horns, synth bass chords. I actually like these angular chord progressions though the drumming gets a little pompous and over-zealous from time to time. The man is all Animal tom- and cymbal-crashing--not even the cool flange effect can keep me from feeling embarrassed for Al's apparent need to impress. (9/10)

Total Time: 43:16

A jazzed-up Soul/R&B album with each and every song intended to have possible pop radio play (if only the Soul/R&B charts). It's fun, with no real low/deficiencies it's just not top tier production. Also, Alphonze just doesn't have the voice or vocal talent to pull of radio-quality hits and his drumming is quite often embarrassingly over the top: as if the 25- year old feels some overwhelming drive to prove his skillfulness. (Was he dissed by the critics early on in his career?)

C+/3.25 stars; an interesting and often enjoyable display of Soul/R&B wannabe from a supposed upper-level Jazz-Rock Fusion. I had much higher expectations than this was able to deliver. In terms of relevance to a prog or J-RFuse database, this must, unfortunately, be relegated to the collector/fans only bin.

Sean Trane Second album from this excellent jazz & fusion drummer, but it’s not one I’d recommend if you’re in either (or both) styles; but you’d better expect more like a funky soul-jazz, one that flooded the airwaves of RnB radio. Although I’m not an expert in that afore-mentioned field, the guest list features only unknown (to moi, of course), except Randy Brecker (who wasn’t yet the widely-known persona he became), and maybe Mike Mandel or Ray Armando. To be honest, the artwork is a good indication of the music you can find on the record. Don’t be fooled by the Blue Note label belonging, though

Indeed, while the music is often fairly complex , if you’re a jazz of fusion fan, you won’t find much to clench your teeth into and might just as well use your forearm in frustrations. Most of the tracks are fairly mainstream sung funk-soul-jazz, none are terribly exciting either (well there are some ultra-technical killer funk here and there). Not surprisingly, the instrumental tracks are the most interesting, like the awesome title track or the excellent Coryell cover of ISM and often featuring Alphonse’s drumming pizzazz, and not just in the Where I’m Drumming From drum solo track. However, most of the rest of the album is simply gliding over my indifference shell, despite the odd humorous wink, like the Rosebud twangy/hick-country feel over a funk beat. I’ll give a half-mention to The Beggar or Yes I do. The material is half penned by the Mouzons, Langford and Highsmith filling the rest.

I won’t say much over Mouzon’s other releases that I will probably discover in the coming months, but I must say that this Blue Note label belonging is most misleading and you could be in for a major disappointment, even if the overall virtuosity on such an album is quite impressive. Just not my type of album, despite the instrumental brilliance.