Mostly mellow, but uninspired, jazz from a guitar master
Nicole N. Pellegrini | Philadelphia, PA | 01/13/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"There is no denying Andy Summer's virtuosity with the guitar, particularly when it comes to creating the atmospheric soundscapes and effects which became a trademark sound of his work with The Police in the 70s and 80s. His solo work since then has varied both in style and in quality, and "Earth + Sky" is a solid, but not outstanding, addition to his library of recordings.
The album starts out strong and energetic with "Above the World", which features some great drumwork by Vinnie Colaiuta. "Now I'm Free" has a delicate, tropical feel to it, followed by the rather sexy, slow groove of "Diva Station". The mellow vibe continues with "Return", but then finally kicks back up a notch with the title track, perhaps the strongest on the album. "Parallels" returns to the soft feel of earlier tracks and "Circus" finally gets a little funky. "Roseville" has some nice hooks to it, as does "Red Stiletto". The album ends on a very gentle note with the romantic "I Choose You."
The problem is few, if any, of these tracks really stick in the memory. It is all fairly easy to listen to, but perhaps a bit too easy. Although I have listened to this album numerous times, I have a hard time keeping any of the numbers apart in my head, and it only occasionally shows what Andy is really capable of as a player (indeed, when I saw him perform a number of these tracks live not long ago, they shone out with much more energy and vitality than comes across on the record.)
Overall I can only give the album a solid average rating. I'd instead recommend trying to catch Andy live if you want to really see and hear what he is capable of, as this album will primarily be of most interest only to his diehard fans."
Fabulous CD
Stephanie Sante | Boulder, CO, USA | 02/26/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a gorgeous CD from start to finish. The tracks have a nice blend of Jazz textures combined with Rock intensity at times. The emphasis is on melody and overall song structure rather than flash. Very listenable and very polished. One of my favorite CDs."
Masterpiece
Henry Korm | Brazil | 12/08/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"He has an ambient masterpiece: Mysterious Barricades.
An ambient and grooves: The Golden Wire.
A music meets painting: Synaesthesia.
Now he's free and did it again: Earth & sky is a music masterpiece.
That's it. Go listen."
A recent 'Gem' from one of the most underrated guitarists ar
Joseph Goria | L.A. CA USA | 10/07/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Andy Summers always performs with such passion, while being so graceful to the many fans he serve. He's quite simply one of the best guitarists I know. He's just magical, his play takes you to another place (not to some local beachfront but to a real paradise). I bought this album dirt-cheap right here from Amazon. I was very lucky - I met Andy last night for his book signing at Barnes & Noble at the Grove (Fairfax, L.A.) and told him how his solo work was just simply the best, and he really appreciated it. He signed this album and my copy of his new memoir "One Train Later". A very nice guy and one of my favorite artists from 'any' genre, jazz-fusion or rock. Just listen to this particular album - for me, it actually takes stress away while sitting on I-5. This album helps me relax in this part of our world we call L.A. (The cover shows the shadow of a hillside house looking down on L.A.) I Can't wait for the next album, as he told me it would be very soon!!! **UPDATE 02-21-2007 ...As with any project, Was it meant to be? I guess "The Police Tour 2007" will dice away any plans for a new solo album 'very soon' as Andy will be one busy guy this summer (I'm sure he won't mind, either =)) But, after the tour..Let's Hope. Peace - Joe 'Bear' G"