Search - Andy Summers :: X Y Z

It could have been so much better.

Nicole N. Pellegrini | Philadelphia, PA | 01/13/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"On Andy Summers' first solo outing after The Police, he seemed out to prove that he had something to say--and sing--for himself. Unfortunately, all he seemed to really prove is that as skillfull a guitarist he might be, no one should ever let him near a microphone to sing.



It's a shame, too, because there actually are some potentially very good pop songs on this album. Some of them such as "Love Is the Strangest Way" and "Eyes of a Stranger" could have even been terrific Police songs, accented by Sting's vocals and Stewart Copeland's complex drumming. Unfortunately, instead, much of this album is marred by poor production and musical choices, such as the use of repetitive, unimaginative drum machine programming on virtually every track, overuse of synthesizers, Summers' poor vocals and not enough emphasis on his guitarwork. The background female vocals used on many tracks do not complement Andy's voice well, either.



That said, there are a few highlights, most notably "The Only Road", a dark song which actually works well with Andy's rough voice and does showcase his playing well. But sadly the impression I'm left with at the end of this album was how much better it could have been, had it not been driven, apparently, so strongly by Summer's ego."

Andy sings!

Flexible_Strategies | Redlands, CA | 10/25/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I loved this CD for the simple reason that Andy sang. His only vocal solo effort. There are some very catchy tunes on here, and some excellent guitar work. I saw him tour to support this CD and most of the songs on XYZ translated quite well to a live setting. To compare this CD to The Police denies Andy an identity. The songs on XYZ could be Police tracks I suppose, but they're not. Part of The Police's power was the individual strengths each member brought to that group. This release showed the world, maybe for the first time, that Andy is a terrific song writer."