Niacin: Krush

After a lengthy hiatus, the high-impact progressive rock and jazz-fusion trio fires back with its 6th studio album. The respective musicians' demanding schedules as first-call session aces and ongoing affiliations with other bands, both in and out of the studio, spans multiple jazz and rock related genres. Here, the trio's vigorous turbo-powered gait remains intact, along with its demanding rhythmic blueprint.

The band tackles guitarist Al DiMeola's fusion classic "Majestic Dance," originally appearing on Return to Forever's 1976 Romantic Warrior album for Columbia Records. The musicians punch it out while retaining the tuneful and rather stately primary theme and challenging time signatures. Keyboardist John Novello employs a beefy and gravelly sound on the Hammond B-3 as the artists mingle grace with an in-your-face attack. Novello even works the super-speed choruses in unison with bassist Billy Sheehan, amid a few classical-type riffs. And when drummer Dennis Chambers isn't knocking out massive rolls and sweeping polyrhythms, he firms up the finale with driving backbeats, supporting Novello's thrusting keys and restatement of the heart-warming melody. Overall, Krush is a resilient musical statement, containing a diverse track mix and virtuoso-level soloing sprees.

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