The Album

The album kicks off with the title track. Here, all the three bandmembers are nothing short of brilliant in their tone, technical ability, ebullience and good sense of humor. I recall something well worth considering that Thelonious Monk expressed somewhere way back in time. He said, answering a visionary question; "Whereīs jazz going? I donīt know where jazz is going. You canīt make anything go anywhere. It just happens". Basically this is what this track sounds like - something that just happened. Well, it did indeed happen and the result was really awesome. A James Brown lyric quote (from "Payback") can quite appropriatly summarize the feeling I have of this track; "I don't know karate, but I know caraazzzy!!!!"

The album has got off to a very good start with the great groove in the opener, then it wanders onwards, keeping itīs promise...

...although the second track, called "Shadowglass", has a completly different style. This one is more like a beautiful never-ending dream with fluid alto flutes on the carpet of a smooth accompaniment with a slight jazz feel to it. Very harmonic and delicate as well. Stylewise this disc offers lots of twists and turns. Generally this might cause limitations to the overall feeling but here itīs all a good thing as it feels very closely connected and natural. Well, on to the next track...

"Alley Want" consists of a rather bluesy groove with harmonica and all. I like the booklet description of this song; "Here the artist captures a longing and gentle caress, edged in a mixture of blues and freedom subtleties". So far the music has proved to be superb, the production is fantastic, the sound of it is crystal clear and that is nothing less than highly enjoyable. As was mentioned in the "background", ONOFFONīs music has clear roots to the jazz, blues and progressive area. Roughly speaking the first track belongs to the progressive, the second to the jazz and the third to the blues. This is well varied music, and itīs indeed very good.

On to the fourth track, "Mardi Gras". This is a very light and fluffy track which probably will serve itīs purpose well as a cure for depressions. It makes me smile anyway. It has a latin rythm to it, probably close to bossa nova. This track is slightly reminiscent to the Polish band Varius Manx, at least when they lean towards jazz. Anyway, "Oceanīs Cry" is up next. Itīs a nice song, actually nothing much compared to ONOFFON standards, but still good of course. It includes a beautiful guitar solo and very solid, as always, playing from the rythm section.

The sixth song, "Bebeīs Song" is a quite eccentric one. It sounds closest to some jazz standard, performed with less originality but definitively with a happy jazz mood. This is also a song which most likely will make you smile, unless you do mind listening to pure vocal jazz that is. "Bebeīs Song" is good example of an extreme in the array of musicial styles of this album. This is a three-minute song which leads to the next, "For Hell Sakeīs". This is probably the most bluesy one. I for one prefer the leaning towards jazz and progressive but this is still at a very high level. Itīs a pretty simple song with a nice groove to it.

OK, what impressions do you get so far? This is top class music? In that case I truly believe that Iīve been able to express myself correctly. Here the album takes a more melodic turn. The following instrumental song called "Opus" is a really delicate piece of work. The blues and jazz tendencies are gone and a more straight-forward rock sound has taken place. It remains even through "You Know I Canīt", the ninth track of the album. This is more like a ballad, a very beautiful ballad that is. The vocals which is handled by Don Lake is very good and fits the song (and the music overall) extremely well. It really inspires confidence. My girlfriend did really catch attention to this song, saying; "This is good!". Need I say more? This really is good.

After a brilliant exihibition by these highly skilled musicians only two tracks remains. First up is "Wet Legs", itīs a song that plays a waiting game in a very nice laid back mood before bursting out in a slight blues inspired refrain. Later all ends up in a great instrumental middle part, just to catch up with the basic theme and make it to an end. This song makes me think of the underestimated singer/songwriter Marc Cohn. The closer, "Credits" is a fun act. The credits from the booklet is read out loud by the bandmembers (all at once), accompaniged by a jazz piece, very much like background music, just to bring out.....the credits. Very original and very funny. As for everything else on this disc Iīll give them credit for that.

Conclusion

Your Mind is the breathtaking result of a band that is superbly integrated. The sound is pure and very clean and the musicians are indeed very competent. Various musicial directions, mainly jazz, blues and progressive is merged into a sound that is indisputably forged by ONOFFON. As being a trio the rythm section, consisting of Babasin on bass and Goode on drums, is more than just a rythm section. They both shine along with Lake on guitars. Well, I could go on and on and on about this album, but I wonīt. Instead Iīll finish this review off by quoting Doctor Faustus; "When everythingīs working, art always appears artless". Well, not this art. Not this time.

- Per Stenberg

1. Your Mind		4:00
2. Shadowglass		4:42
3. Alley Want		6:20
4. Mardi Gras		4:01
5. Ocean Cry		5:57
6. Bebeīs Song		3:02
7. For Hell Sakeīs		6:23
8. Opus		5:29
9. You Know I Canīt		4:08
10. Wet Legs		5:09
11. Credits		4:08

Musicians:

Don Lake - Guitars, vocals
Dave Goode - Drums, percussion
Von Babasin - Bass, bg vocals

Additional Musicians:

Glen Garret - Alto flute, soprano saxophone
Carole Couture-Oliveiri - Bg vocals
Stacey Baltes - Bg vocals

Rating:

ONOFFON Website