I was never a big fan of the instrumental albums. To be precise, I was never a fan at all of the instrumental albums. Personally, I am of the opinion that these kind of albums are forwarded towards a very specific audience (that’s not necessarily bad…just mentioning it) and every musician that backs up such an album pays more attention to his technical abilities and virtuosity than the simplicity and the accessibility that a composition should have. Nevertheless, Neal Schon was always one of the more melodic (and among my favorite) guitarists while he is quite capable when it comes down to the compositional department (well, he was aided in the past by the killer duet of Perry/Cain).
Having said all of the above, I was kinda curious to listen to Schon’s newest studio offering entitled “The Calling”. Right from the first listening session, it becomes plain obvious that the record is absolutely spontaneous –but not hastily written- with a loose edge that sets out a feeling of a jam session of a jazz-rock fusion band. I was pleasantly surprised to see the former drummer of Journey, Steve Smith, reuniting with Schon as it was the case with keyboard extraordinaire Jan Hammer.
The melodies instantly stand out and the title composition along with “True Emotion” reveal that “The Calling” is not forwarded only towards an eclectic but also towards a more wide and special audience.
Highlight: Schon has already prepared a second solo album in a row that will features guest vocal appearances by Jack Blades and Marco Mendoza just to name a few. Can’t wait for it.
