Jacaranda
Trevor Rabin
Label: Varese Fontana
Release Date: May 8, 2012
Review Date: May 20, 2012
It may seem hard to believe that it has it been twenty years since Trevor Rabin’s last solo album, Can’t Look Away, but it certainly has been. So, to say that there’s pent up demand among the fans of this former Yes front man/guitarist would be the understatement of the year.
When Rabin wasn’t playing every instrument on this album, he was helped out on bass by Tal Wilkenfeld (Jeff Beck and Herbie Hancock), vocals by Liz Constitine, drums by Rabin’s son, Ryan (Grouplove), Vinnie Colaiuta (Sting and Frank Zappa) as well as his longtime drummer, Lou Molino III.
Jacaranda displays Trevor’s consummate grasp of a wide spectrum of musical genres including rock, classical, and jazz. For instance, the fifty-two second long Spider Boogie is briefly reminiscent of James Burton’s chicken picking style guitar before sliding effortless into the incredibly intricate jazz fusion of Market Street, which is a Boomerocity favorite.
Another Boomerocity favorite is the ethereal/sometimes eclectic sounds of Anerley Road. Running the full gamut of raw emotion and intensity, this song leaves the listener pleasantly exhausted when the last note is played. Rounding out the Boomerocity short list of favorites is Rescue. Contemplative, introspective, and lonely in its sound and feel, this tune is by far the most emotional piece of this incredibly moving CD.
Listening to this album, one can easily see why Trevor Rabin has made an incredibly successful career contributing to, and the scoring of, movie soundtracks over the last thirty-four years; movies from Death of a Snowman to Armageddon to Remember the Titans to I Am Number 4.
While Rabin as well as Yes fans will definitely want to add this body of work to their listening library, so will those who love new, eclectic, innovative music that expands ones thoughts, emotions and moods. I guarantee that you’ll be slapping the repeat button of your player on every song on this album.
Written by Randy Patterson
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