“OUT STANDING IN THEIR FIELD” Steve Morse Band (Ear/ Eagle Records) ****
I have a tough time digesting fully instrumental albums but this is a rare exception, too delicious to ignore.
You might know Morse from The Dixie Dregs, his solo work or, most likely as the current guitarist for Deep Purple. His trio, including bassist Dave LaRue and drummer Van Romaine, is gifted, hence the punny album title. They actually are outstanding at their jobs, and on the back cover photo they’re outside, standing in a field. This recalls early Joe Satriani, muscular but melodic, and easy to dig. Steve keeps his instinct to excessively wank in check, resulting in fewer ‘weedly-weedly’ moments than other guitar-based instrumental discs. I’ve already spun this 3 or 4 times and I’m ready for more- that should tell you something right there.
KEY CUTS: “Name Dropping”, “Here And Now And Then”, “Time Junction”