Search - Randy Roos :: Primalvision

World music from the privacy of your own home studio

woburnmusicfan | Woburn, MA United States | 06/12/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is not the Randy Roos I knew. The Roos whose jazz-tinged guitar backed the silly but wonderful Orchestra Luna (if you ever get the chance, check out his solo on "Were You Dancing On Paper" on their one Columbia LP), the Roos of the clear-vinyl fusion "Mistral" album, the Roos who was inspired by Bruford's "One of a Kind" album to make some of the best instrumental rock that ever went sadly unrecorded, the Roos who would take a solo at John McLaughlin speed while staring fixedly at a spot on the far wall.This edition of Randy Roos has come up with an album that sounds like a cross between Deep Forest (with its pygmy chants set to synth dance music) and Mark Knopfler's soundtrack music. The vague liner notes suggest there are samples of Native American and Moroccan singing here, and opening track "The Ancestor" sounds like the Deep Forest pygmy music, but this CD presents the FEEL of other cultures rather than presenting the cultures themselves. Roos has long been an expert with guitar synthesizers, and here he combines acoustic (more than expected) and electric guitars and synthesis into an enchanting album. He only really cuts loose with a solo on "Chameleon's Dance". Highlights include "The Ancestor", "Black Elk", and "The Badlands". The only weak moments are on "View from the Summit", which at times sounds a lot like "Auld Lang Syne". The last I heard Randy was into techno, so snap this CD up, because the next version of Roos may be very different."

A little unusual, a lot great!

Desiree | San Jose | 10/31/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Maybe it's the musical space I'm in at the moment, but I love this CD after hearing it only once. I'm not a music critic so I can't define the CD's musical characteristics in proper terms.



All I can say is I feel extraordinarily lucky to have stumbled upon this recording in a CD store that was about to go out of business. The super low prices offered encouraged me to step outside my usual listening zone. Wow, I feel amply rewarded in finding a CD where I completely enjoy most of the songs on it. I have over 900 CDs and I can't say that about most of them."

Weird But Hauntingly Beautiful

Desiree | 06/07/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The music in this CD will take youn to another time/dimension!"