We Live Here
Olukayode Balogun | Leeds, England | 07/07/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'd say this is Pat Metheny Group's most accessible album to date. That's my opinion anyway and I have all the others. It's certainly their funkiest and as close to the edge of smooth jazz as the group is ever likely to get. There are even beautiful but easy vocal hooks to sing or hum along to (performed by David Blamires and Mark Ledford) on a couple of the songs. Metheny plays guitar (and guitar synth, of course), with Lyle Mays on piano and keyboards, Steve Rodby on acoustic and electric bass, Paul Wertico on drums and Luis Conte on percussion. (Ledford also plays trumpet).
I would like to hope that this album, when it was released back in 1995, brought new fans into the fold without scaring away any established ones. Personally, I loved it from first listen. I'm not not overly keen on the title track (though I do appreciate its brilliant artistry) but the rest of the album is typically flawless. Favourite tunes include the opener "Here To Stay", "The Girls Next Door", "Episode d'Azur", "Something To Remind You" and "Red Sky". I find Mays' piano solos on some of the selections are particularly heartwarming and if I were going to introduce PMG to a friend, this is the CD I would buy for them as a gift.
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