Colours: Rebel Heart

”Colours” is a multinational band who wear their name well. On Rebel Heart, the band serve up an engaging, airy and quite “colorful” series of compositions that skirt the fringes of contemporary fusion and radio friendly jazz along with a few nods, or perhaps gratis to guitarist Pat Metheny. On compositions such as “Like There’s No Tomorrow”, guitarist Frankie Rose utilizes an electric sitar along with cheery “lyric-less” vocals by guest musician Paul Curtiz that parallel singer Mark Ledford and his now familiar work with Metheny. More Metheny-isms surface on the title track and the composition, “She Stands Alone” complete with affable melodies, firm rhythms, and adept soloing by all, yet this band doesn’t hide the fact that they appreciate Metheny’s musical influence and significance in modern music. However, these pieces in particular are well constructed, beautifully recorded and thoroughly entertaining and that’s not all. On the delightful piece titled, “Dolce Vita”, the band tackle Italian folk music with a modern edge, featuring some nifty and altogether dexterous lead accordion lines presumably by keyboardist Vincent Bruyninckx. Here, the musicians invoke images of sipping espresso at a cafe somewhere in Rome. Bassist Jacques Pili shows his estimable goods on “Myriam” via pumping, linearly executed electric bass lines as the bassist may have had Jaco in mind while performing atop the odd-metered backbeat, Rose’s poignant lead guitar lines and tasty electric piano soloing from Bruyninckx. On this track, the band produce a bit of controlled and graceful mayhem as the overall vibes touch the heart without slamming one’s senses into oblivion. All in all, Rebel Heart features an intriguing compositional mix, solid ensemble work and impressive arrangements although the elapsed time of 42-minutes seems a bit short when considering the strong material presented throughout.

Essentially, “Colours” are most effective at extracting the finer elements of “soft” fusion while fabricating somewhat of a signature group sound, which also holds true during the Metheny-style compositions. In all actuality it is hard to dislike this recording, as this band should enjoy widespread appeal not only from a marketing perspective but also from those who possess discriminating tastes! * * * *