Review by Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck
No rating supplied
Michael Manring (bass), Tim Alexander (drums), and Alex Skolnick (guitar)
are Attention Deficit. "The Idiot King" is the interesting title of
their new album. What makes it so thought consuming is the fact that
this is all instrumental music. It's you, the music, and your imagination.
I couldn't picture what it all meant until I read the press kit and
then looked at the titles of the songs. This is all about America
suffering from ADS, and the media controlling our thought processes
and lifestyles. Do we all have the attention and focus of a household
dog? Who is the king of the idiots? Think about it for a minute. I
will let you come to your own conclusion with those thoughts. On to the music!
This is a super group power trio of the premier degree. All three
men are respected veterans of the industry. These talented men don't
have any one particular focus or influence; they seem to be able to
put everything together quite nicely regardless of their varied backgrounds
and musical directions. I heard some expert genre blending on every
track. The bass playing reminded me of Stanley Clarke. I know at some
point Manring must have listened to some Return To Forever, as I was
reminded of that group several times while listening. Skolnick did
sound like Al DiMeola at times too. Alexander didn't sound like Lenny
White…he did sound quite amazing, but not like anyone else I have
ever heard. Well, enough with the comparisons and gushing. This is
a great album, and it is unquestionably a tour de force of instrumental fusion.
I am completely captivated by music like this. There is a good mix
of rockers with heavily flavored jazz tracks to give the entire endeavor
a balance and feel that is highly unusual. It remains consistently
unyielding in a very good way. I noticed how strong the bass is throughout
this recording, its obvious that Manring is the predominant instrumentalist.
He is in complete command and his personality just overflows through
his bass strings. Because of his upfront take charge attitude, the
other two members benefit from him taking the lead. Skolnick is a
fiery and empowered six-string maestro, while Alexander keeps perfect
time with Manring, which I am sure, is no easy task judging by the
odd time signatures that music of this nature creates. It's exponential;
one musician starts were the other left off and so on and so forth.
This a very complex sequence of songs that would give any reviewer
a daunting task to pick apart and break down, so you know what? I
am not going to even attempt to do so. Why? Because it isn't necessary,
it's an immense album from start to finish. If you aren't convinced
after reading what I have to say about the validity and exceptional
talent that this group has, then go to Wal-Mart and buy a Britney
Spears album or something, you are hopeless. Hey, just get this CD
you will love it. That is assuming you know about music, and are sophisticated
enough to understand and appreciate the complexities and many minutiae
of fusion. If you qualify, then go grab a slice musical perfection
for your collection now.
1. American Jingo
2. Any Unforseen Event
3. The Risk Of Failure
4. Low Voter Turnout
5. Unclear Inarticulate Things
6. RSVP
7. My Fellow Astronauts
8. Dubya
9. The Killers Are To Blame
10. Nightmare On 48th St.
11. Public Speaking Is Very Easy
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