Return to the solid body

Reviewed October 2006

Al Di Meola is back with his latest offering, "Consequence of Chaos," which is being touted as his return to solid-body electric guitar. This begs the question, why did he ever go away from it? Back is the smooth sound that fans will remember from the old days, which is far superior to the electric-acoustic sound he has been using lately. With the return to his trademark guitar tone and appearances by great musicians such as Chick Corea, Steve Gadd and John Patitucci, it's hard to go wrong and Di Meola seldom does.

The standout track on "Consequence of Chaos" is the longest, the soon to be Di Meola classic, "Tempest." However, the album has many highlights which include "Black Pearls," "Red Moon" and "Hypnose." But rather than just a collection of songs, "Consequence of Chaos" comes across as a singular work with several solo Di Meola tracks that serve as segues for the next song.

That's not to say that the album is not without its disappointments, the first of which is the use of programmed drum beats which sometimes sound oddly out of place with the organic sound of the album. The other down point of the album comes from the duet between Di Meola and former Return to Forever bandmate Corea, which at times sounds more like two great musicians playing at the same time, rather than playing together. These two minor points aside, Di Meola's "Consequence of Chaos" is a fantastic album that won't disappoint old fans, and will surely bring in new ones.

Review by Gabriel Lopez. Gabriel is guitarist for Fractured Halo, and lives in Fallbrook, Calif.