Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Schon, Neal
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2014
Rating: 4.5/5
This time Neal Shcon decided to put together (his sixth studio album in all) a record with a much bigger octane payoff than the otherwise excellent predecessor »The Calling«, which came out just a year and a half ago. So he called in two hyperactive players who are otherwise brimming with surplus energy at every step they take through the boundless musical universe. With Schon’s extraordinary musical insight and general polish, it’s obvious a musician like him needs a seriously sharpened rhythm section at his side. This time he figured that would do the trick. He found the answer in the circle of »close« masters of the music business, you could say his equals. The first is none other than his longtime (former) Hardline and Bad English and (current) Journey buddy Deen Castranovo, and the second is bassist Marco Mendoza.
Schon’s new album »So U« is an album that has it all. All of it. A remarkable optimization of the trial-and-error testing of many different ideas. Not a single one of them is surplus to requirements. It’s a wonderfully balanced album, both in terms of songwriting and production. Castranovo and Schon have known each other for ages, so the only question mark is Mendoza. But even that question vanishes in an instant once you look back over this musician’s rich career, because it becomes clear right away that a player who has lent his services to the likes of (or formerly) Black Star Riders, Ted Nugent, Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy has the golden touch on bass guitar.
»So U« is even bolder than its predecessor The Calling in musical experimentation and artistic daring. The answer to »Why is that?« is dead simple and lies in the exceptional chemistry developed by the creative nucleus of the Schon – Mendoza – Castranovo triangle while the album was coming together in the studio. One more piece of information is essential here. This time around, Schon and company had one more extremely resourceful arranger and songwriter helping with the compositions: Schon’s longtime friend, also from San Francisco, Jack Blades of the »west coast AOR« outfit Night Ranger. That element added the necessary pinch of musical fine-tuning to the songs and their tightness. »So U« steers damn wisely between the fusion element, built on the trio’s top-notch solo acrobatics, while at the same time leaning on well-crafted melodies that give the songs and the album plenty of cohesion.
All three musicians show off their vocal chops on the album. Schon only takes the odd verse here and there and mostly adds backing harmonies (woven in the style of recognizable AOR formulas), while Mendoza and Castranovo sing more of the material, since they’re considered far greater vocal talents than Neal Schon. Especially Castranovo, who for instance sings the song Keep On Runnin’ at Journey concerts (so his tone is close to Pineda’s and Steve Perry’s). The songs Serenity and Love Find Its Way could easily have found a spot on one of the more recent Journey albums, while Mendoza, with his soul-tinted voice, takes over lead vocals on On Own Way, as well as on the opener Take A Ride, which will have no trouble catching the ear of fans of The Winery Dogs. What You Want is much the same, with Mendoza and Castranovo sharing the vocal lines. That song grabs you especially because the lead motifs unfold in a completely unpredictable way, with a sense of spontaneity. It’s a terrific ride between blues funk and the infectious musicality of the typical AOR trade. At the same time it keeps all its tightness and, despite the slammed-in improvisations, stays highly listenable. A track like this shows off all the mastery of the trio’s great musical talents.
There are plenty of passages where the trio literally cut loose in wild rock-to-jazz fusion escapades and sudden upheavals. The first such masterpiece on the album, and a great showcase of the trio’s exceptional chemistry, is the instrumental Exotica, which was also released as the album’s promo video. Mendoza brings a top-notch feel for melody, and his resourcefulness in livening up the open space that forms beneath Schon’s guitar phrases is incredible. Deen Castranovo literally shreds many passages with extended improvised inserts that at times seem to have no end, and the drumming master naturally leaves the listener positively stunned. The album also captures a solid dose of playful silliness. The song Shelter (with Castranovo on vocals again) counts, in terms of the combination of infectious melodic tightness (a playful chorus) and the trio’s instrumental trickery, as one of the album’s peaks. Funk slammed in from head to toe! The album closes (almost predictably, given Neal Schon’s past work) with an instrumental titled Big Ocean, which is the exact opposite of the instrumental Exotica. An esoteric drift with a lavish backdrop of many sonic layers, masterfully harmonized. This time Schon places just a few notes and builds a grandiose melody. He helps himself along with the venomous guitar effect of »sustain«. The space available under Schon’s lead motif is, once again, brilliantly filled by bassist Marco Mendoza with his mastery.
»So U« counts as one of the most interesting studio achievements of the first half of this year. It’s incredible how these three musicians keep all their creativity and inspiration even in their mature years. It’s an album with tremendously strong ideas and an identity all its own. Artistically, it’s an album of great charisma, backed by the musical vision of the master Neal Schon. In fact, the content of »So U« is, on the artistic side, a superb fusion of the entire musical background of these three top-tier musicians, expressing that variability with an exceptional expressive balance. An album of musical uncommonness, boundless fusion appeal, and an absolutely unique artistic one-off! Even though it will sound »familiar« to you, you won’t be able to place it anywhere at all.
Lineup
Neal Schon – guitar, vocals
Marco Mendoza – bass, vocals
Deen Castronovo – drums, vocals
Production
Neal Schon
Tracklist
1. Take a Ride (5:21)
2. So U (9:29)
3. Exotica (5:31)
4. What You Want (5:08)
5. Love Finds a Way (5:46)
6. On My Way (3:53)
7. Serenity (3:58)
8. Shelter (6:05)
9. Big Ocean (4:42)
