ISOTOPE

ALBUM REVIEW
From the go, Isotope is a headless union of very able musicians. The tunes come across as underdeveloped and loose, often dull, jams. Gary Boyle is a gifted guitarist, but besides the sporadic moment lighting up the album, he fails to stamp his authority on the music as if leaving the task to someone else, someone else who is hardly bothered by all accounts. Perhaps in the live situation this jazz rock wannabe act may have come across as electric and powerful but the album sounds poor and pretty much lifeless, a weak and very flat production hardly helps this albums cause. While at the same time the first two Tony Williams Lifetime albums had very raw productions yet there was an intensity which was blistering, those traits are missing here, and there is a feeling of conservatism in the pieces on Isotope, tight but methodical, interesting but never that exciting. Jeff Clanye's bass plods along ploddingly and only adds to the woes while Nigel Morris being a solid drummer is no Billy Cobham, and that's being very fair. Synth and keyboard player Brian Miller wrote everything here but "Honkey Donkey", and his "Upward Curve" could be the one highlight of the album, along with "Windmills And Waterfalls", which is an excellent acoustic track where Boyle does excel, while Boyle's own composition "Honkey Donkey" is a near runner up. I certainly expected more from the album, and after reading the notes I was even more expectant, but overall it is a good album. A group of session men trying their hand at jazz rock but not quite getting to grips with what it actually needs to be fused and dynamic. Nice try though. (jonnydeluxe - Rate Your Music)