Neil C. Young Trio, El Camino

Neil Young? No, Neil C. Young. A different Neil Young but one that plays some interesting electric guitar (and Neil Young the first, so to speak, does that too in his way but it's not time to talk about that). This Mr. Young has gathered together his music, put together a nice trio with Alan Whitham on electric bass and Richard Young on drums, and recorded a CD, his new one, called El Camino (Canadian-American).

We have some nicely electrified guitar-based jazz-rock going on throughout. This is music that owes something to the classic Gary Burton jazz-rock sides and the guitarists who occupied the string chair over the years.

It has some good, progressive "blowing" tunes going on and Neil C. lets loose with improvisations that do distinguish him as original. He can and does come up with some nicely turned single lines but it's his chordal improvising that especially sets him apart. He has unusual voicings and a good percussive feel.

The whole album flows well and it keeps sounding good after a bunch of listens. So that means you probably should get it!! That is, if a new guitarist with his own touch would fit in with your listening plans. . .

Doubt, Mercy, Pity, Peace & Love

Doubt is a crack post-prog-fuse outfit and they are back with a new offering, Mercy, Pity, Peace & Love (Moon June 049). They run the gamut with a set of good vibrations in a neo-psychedelic mode.

The trio is an excellent match: Alex Maguire with right-bright-idea keyboard sounds that go from period rock organ to contemporary cosmos space. Michel Delville is a guitarist of distinction, showing equal portions of chops and taste, spinning lines you might have wished you played yourself. Finally, Tony Bianco is a drummer who does it all right, driving in a blistering way, getting subtle when needed, giving us a kind of clinic on jazz-rock drumming while making up a critical one-third of the band.

There's some riff metal heaviness that sounds great, space music that hearkens back while moving ahead, a bang-up, over-the-top "Purple Haze," down a notch for a lyric interlude, then back at it with hard-hitting space anthems and some electric free playing.

This one has balance and ballsonics. Anyone with the need to take retro-space-age sounds into a new future will find this a good way to begin the journey.

Important and very enjoyable.