Guitarist
Al di Meola's second record as a leader is generally an explosive affair, although it does have a fair amount of variety. With
Jan Hammer or
Barry Miles on keyboards, electric bassist
Anthony Jackson, drummer
Lenny White (
Steve Gadd takes his place on the "Elegant Gypsy Suite"), and percussionist
Mingo Lewis on most of the selections,
di Meola shows off his speedy and rock-ish fusion style. He was still a member of
Return to Forever at the time and was a stronger guitarist than composer, but
di Meola did put a lot of thought into this music. The brief "Lady of Rome, Sister of Brazil" (an acoustic guitar solo) and "Mediterranean Sundance" (an acoustic duet with fellow guitarist
Paco de Lucía) hints at
di Meola's future directions. A near classic in the fusion vein. ~ Scott Yanow