[.ca] Secrets

WOW!:
When Allan releases an album he takes no prisoners. The opening 2 minute song City Lights is worth the price of the CD alone. Hold on tight! Man, those killer chord progressions! Allan is still the greatest fusion guitarist in my opinion. He has a style and tone like no other and all his compositions are unparalleled as far as depth and chord progressions. Its as though the tone of his guitar is like a human voice. Not to mention he is one the greatest soloist ever. Incredible bass work from Jimmy Johnson.

One great track, two decent ones, and a lot of mush:
With the opening track, "City Nights", Allan Holdsworth demonstrates his breathtaking command of the electric guitar: the scintillating staccato runs, the explosive energy-level, the urbane jazz sensibility, it's all here. Which is what makes the rest of this album so disappointing. Only the bouncy "Spokes" and the amelodic "Peril Premonition" really succeed in showing off the master's abilities. Holdsworth has often been criticized (and rightly so) for his compositional skills, which tend to lag behind his prowess as a soloist. Compare the material on this album with Jean-Luc Ponty's "Enigmatic Ocean" (featuring some of Holdsworth's most memorable performances), and see what a difference it makes when there's an actual melody for the listener to cling to. Perhaps what we're really seeing here is an artist looking for a new direction. Given the soporific nature of entries like "Endomorph" and the seemingly endless "Maid Marion", one might suspect that Holdsworth is looking to embark on a new career in Adult Contemporary music, a field which this reviewer admits is too far beyond his understanding to evaluate properly. The occasional odd sound effects and the select appearances by a female vocalist don't come off so much like experiments as mistakes, and certainly won't win any new converts to this very gifted performer. Instead of looking for new directions, perhaps Holdsworth would do well to look harder in the old ones. Face it, with his chops, he should be widely recognized as the greatest jazz guitarist of all time. If he's remained a cult figure by his own choice, we have to respect that, but if this reviewer might humbly offer a suggestion, it would surely be a good career move for Holdsworth to team up with someone who has stronger songwriting skills. One can't help but think that having Holdsworth soloing would make anyone's compositions sound better, but if they've got good material to start with, there's no telling how big a splash such an album might make.

• City Nights
• Secrets
• 54 Duncan Terrace
• Joshua
• Spokes
• Maid Marion
• Peril Premonition
• Endomorph