DARYL STUERMER - REWIRED (THE ELECTRIC COLLECTION)

DARYL STUERMER - REWIRED (THE ELECTRIC COLLECTION)

Disk 1 . . . . . . .42.18
1. Yin Yang Boogie . . . . . . . 4:27
2. Road Warrior . . . . . . . . . . 3:56
3. Determined . . . . . . . . . . 4:39
4. Deadline . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:35
5. American Fields . . . . . . . . 3:12
6. Morning Train . . . . . . . . . 5:28
7. Wherever You Are . . . . . . 3:53
8. Highland Hip Hop . . . . . . 4:13
9. Transatlantic . . . . . . . . . 4:17
10. The Least You Can Do . . 4:29

Line-up:
- Daryl Stuermer: Guitars, bass (2,7,10),
keyboards, percussion
- Brad Cole: Keyboards (5,6,8)
- Kostia: Keyboards (2,7,9,10)
- Leland Sklar: Bass (3,4,5,6,8)
- Eric Hervey: Bass (9)
- Mark Torroll: Drums (1,3,4,5,6,8)
- John Calarco: Drums (2,7,9,10)
- Luis Conte: Percussion (2,7,9)

Produced by Daryl Stuermer & Gary Tanin
Format: Single CD • Unicorn Digital UNCR-5038
release date: December 29, 2006
Daryl Stuermer's official website at: http://www.darylstuermer.com/

Daryl Stuermer is best known for his long tenure as the official "live" guitarist of the group Genesis, but those who have followed his long and prestigious carreer know also that he played with Jean-Luc Ponty and appeared on many albums by the likes of Joan Armatrading, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks and even Abba's Frida Lyngstad!

Aside from his obvious progressive connection with Genesis, Daryl's style of choice on many of his solo CDs is a cool blend of jazzy instrumental fusion and contemporary proggy pop. The album Rewired - The Electric Connection falls in this category. The compositions on this albums are more of a collection of the best material that he recorded over the past 16 years, remastered and re-edited in a manner that they fit well together, giving an admirable tonal continuity to the entire album. Daryl surrounded himself with top-notch musicians such as Leland Sklar and Luis Conte, and the collection of tracks features some beautiful guitar and keyboard harmonies, dynamic rythms and skillful guitar work.

The album is composed of 10 instrumental tracks, and begins with the intense Yin Yang Boogie, an energetic fusion number with a good rock beat, that features a Late-Genesis-like interlude in the middle, followed by the toe-tappin' Road Warrior, a composition that wears its name well: crank it up on the road! Very dynamic, with some elaborate guitar and keyboard duos. American Fields has a Copland-esque theme, and features some great guitar solos, another good one for the road! Wherever You Are is a great ballad with a smooth rhythm and has some great guitar melodies. Highland Hip Hop has scottish traditional theme, mixed-in with some cool Black Watch style percussions. Transatlantic offers yet another delicious jazzy melody, beautiful dreamy harmonies and great guitar work. The album ends on a relaxing note with the melancholic The Least You Can Do, a great ballad with a simple, yet effective pop theme.

A bit of a short album, only clocking at 42 minutes, but a well balanced collection of tracks, with a great guitar tone throughout, showcasing Daryl's skills as a composer and a guitarist without ever going over the top. Excellent production quality and a great, flowing set of tight, captivating composition, this one's a winner! Rewired will appeal to amateurs of contemporary pop as well as enthusiasts of proggy jazz fusion, and as I mentioned before, a perfect "road music" album. This release has great timing as Mr. Stuermer is about to embark on a European/North American tour with his old Genesis buddies this summer, and it is with anticipation that we wait for his upcoming visit!

My rating for Rewired - The Electric Collection : 8.6/10(album reviewed by Robert Dansereau 03/02/2007)