It has been said that music is the sound of the soul.  If so, some people’s souls are over-crowded and just plain noisy.  But then there are those who must have pretty sublime souls to judge from their music.  In an era when rock and roll may not be dead, but it sure is ailing and waning in impact on the musical scene it is not surprising that the music listening public has turned in other directions for their stimulation.  But there are still some artists out there that transcend trends and almost always deliver the goods, and this review is about three of those—– the Dave Matthews Band,  Sade, and from the jazz fusion realm, Pat Metheny.

One of the major differences between these artists is that Dave and Pat could be said to be remarkably prolific, keeping product flowing ever year, but not Sade.  She has never been “caught up in the star-maker machinery behind the popular song” (to borrow a phrase from Joni). In fact it has been some ten years since the release of Sade’s last CD (Lover’s Rock).  Unlike your prototypical celebrity and rock star she’s been staying home raising offspring and enjoying life in Gloucestershire.  Good for her.  There could hardly be a stronger contrast than Pat Metheny who seemingly is always doing tours on both sides of the Atlantic pond whether with his band or as a solo artist.  It is an open question as to whether touring stimulates or stifles one’s creative muse.

A very long time ago, in the early 90s, my daughter, a DMB fan, turned me on to an album  called Under the Table and Dreaming.  I was immediately struck by several things about this artist, who hailed from South Africa but landed and took root in the good ole south in Virginia.  First of all he had an interesting but not powerful voice. Secondly, and more strikingly for one who is a musician, his music was rhythmically very interesting.  Not for him the standard 4/4 time signatures with verses and chorus.  Thirdly, the ensemble of instruments being played and the way they were played made for fascinating listening, and a lot of diversity of sound from song to song.   This man was a very creative writer and performer of music, and on top of all that his music had lots of energy and style. 

Out of the wreckage that was the death of classic rock and roll, here was an artist who combined jazz, blues and rock influences to good effect.  It is not a surprise to me that college students loved his live concerts, and bought his CDs in droves.  But in the world of ‘what have you done for me lately’,  recent CDs by DMB have been not up to earlier standards.  That is… until now.   Dave lost prematurely his close friend and saxaphone player, affectionately called the Groo Grux King, and this CD is an hommage to him.  And what a CD it is.   Full of fascinating songs, which are full of lyrics about heaven and hell and Jesus Christ and Lying in the Hands of God, and what the afterlife will or won’t be like.   The ensemble of horns and voice and driving rhythms is infectious.   This album is perhaps the best  DMB has ever done, and what a fitting tribute to a fallen friend.  On the cover of this CD (see above) you have a parade through Mardi Gras land in Nawlins, perhaps a joyful funeral for the sax player.   There are so many superb cuts on this CD, but I would commend a listen to Shake me like a Monkey, Why I Am, and especially the coda–  You and Me which was performed on the Grammys.  

Of a very different and less raucous ilk is Sade’s new Soldier of Love which zoomed immediately to the top of the adult contemporary charts and has stayed there for the last month, backed by appearances on morning and evening TV shows in America.  The tour, we are told, will follow.  But Sade is not all that big on touring.  I don’t blame her, since I have some 40 flights a year doing gigs around the country and overseas.  It gets tiring.  I like to say I like everything about the travel except the traveling. 

If you’ve paid attention to this blog, then you have already seen the video and heard the lead single of this CD Soldier of Love, which is also the title of the CD.  Sade at 50 something looks the same, sounds the same,  but she is doing some different things these days.  The sound of the night club act cranking out jazzy poly rhythms is mostly missing on this CD.  Its not Love Deluxe revisited, nor is it Lover’s Rock which was a very stripped down bare bones sound.   No, this CD has a sweeter sound, a more winsome tone.  Basically, other than the title cut you have ballads, with a reggae number thrown in, in the middle.   For those who are energy junkies, this is not the CD for you.  Go listen to Dave Matthews.  But those who like nighttime music which is gentle and yet passionate and soothing, this is a fine CD.  Its the sort of music that grows on you rather than jumps out at you.  A few of the songs are too brief and not fully realized (Long Hard Road), but the production is good, and some of these songs will add a nice change of pace to a tour where Sade already has plenty of lively tunes.  As usual, Sade is singing in minor keys about love and loss (her heart has been hurt, but she’s still alive) and in many ways this album is a testimony to perseverance and the indefatigable human spirit.   Enjoy.

The third CD being reviewed here is a technological marvel.  Pat Metheny has for some time been wanting to see how far the technological revolution could be pushed into the musical realm.  The answer at this juncture is—- pretty far.  Orchestrion is a CD like no other, in that there is only one performer— Pat Metheny with his guitars.  But in fact his guitars are linked up with a whole bunch of instruments hard wired electronically so that they play in sync with the guitars– with the sounds of vibes, drums, pianos, horns, etc.  Who needs band mates when you’ve got technology to make you a one man band?   

Let me be clear, this is a very different project than using a synthesizer and creating all sorts of sounds via a single keyboard.  No, we are talking a plethora of real instruments hooked into the Pat Metheny grid with Pat writing parts for each instrument, programming them, and then hooking them all up together and they play with Pat.  In some ways this reminds me of the old one man bands where a single individual would play drums with his feet, have harmonicas and horns hooked on wires in front of his mouth to blow, and he would strum away on a guitar as well.  Just watching how this whole process works is probably worth the price of admission for Pat’s new tour.

And the music is good.  The first and last cuts will remind one of the now classic CD The Way Up which was easily the best jazz fusion CD in recent memory.  Not all the material lives up to that standard, but some of it does. 

But there is something missing on this CD—- what is it?   It is the Zeitgeist, the human spirit of other performers playing ensemble with Pat.  One of the great joys of jazz is watching the players interact and improvise on the spot. There can be none of that here… as these instruments have no soul, nor do they respond spontaneously on their own putting their own passion and twists on the tune.  No, they simply do what they are programmed to do.   It is an interesting experiment, but at the end of the day not one that will replace the Pat Metheny Group in any way, shape, or form. Pat Metheny is
a musical genius and one who loves to play with others and let them show their chops, so I do not worry about him going narcissistic on us and simply touring with robotic instruments from now on.   The experiment is fascinating, and it will make a contribution to the process of continuing to test the limits of the envelope technologically when it comes to music…. but this album is not The Way Up, and it may be doubted whether it is the Way Forward that all should follow either.