Welcome to David Snider’s new album. There's no substitute for your ears and souls; please skip this blurb, experience first and come back later. Main impressions included below. David is a musical beast and hero! Continuing to pay loving tribute to his many heroes on a second volume here. Loving the mixes and mastering: Sweet spots, movable feasts, architectural integrity all around. Bass throughout is proper. So here's an attempt to blend, in sequence, how I'm receiving this collection. ... Silky wild shape-shifts, driving four-on-the- floor funk, nasty clav, Tower of Power horns; guitar mastery, leading the collection as a tribute to mastery, torching through everything leaving a wake of ashes... Holy-grail syncopation and just-right mix - just wow heavenly dueling bass love, rhythmic ecstatic mid-slow flow, punctuated with so-tasty dripping synth licks. Strident after mellow intro; again great writing, tasty swinging arrangement. Trane vibes; now David steps out as a striking jazz guitarist; horns carrying to the skies, spreading wings, taking flight, sailing and sparkling in the Sun. Popping syncopated grooves, then crunchy straight-ahead rock for a couple bars, then rock-shuffle into... just David...all makes sense when you hear it, can’t explain how he combines all these styles so compactly and efficiently - originally - while showing utmost respect to those whose shoulders he climbed up, jumped up, danced and played-his-ass-up... to stand on, humbly and indeed masterfully, balancing with poise. Soundtrack themes taken higher with blistering six-string exhibitions of taste, humor, aplomb. Doing justice to the album title - wildly tight funk, East Bay Minneapolis horns, turbocharged rhythms flipping and changing gears giving midway to pot-pouri menagerie... Guitar sparks into flames just burning it all down .... melting. Lush dreamy cushion laying a floating bed of roses... Soulful string squeezing beads of sweat, a little blood... Healed and sealed up with a truly lovely tune. Orchestrations by Mike Minard; David commanding all the main instruments, standout phrasing especially delectable. Majestic and at the same time introspective writing, chordal explorations, journeys through spectral spaces, soaring soloists given plenty of room to stretch out alongside David- whose soloing is prominent but not overshadowing anyone else - a fully collective endeavor ... Jazz chops spiraling and swirling deftly atop unexpectedly smooth rhythms considering the complexity; none of the fancy stuff gets in the way of gliding and riding ... trailing tenderly. Quiet storm hit material ... Alex Blake! Dave gets down channeling and executing, writing, arranging, playing insanely ....Slaying with love, fire and chops for days... then doubling up to break through the stratosphere ... escape velocity ... orbiting rings of passion ...Still-quiet-slightly-louder storm ... lush acoustic guitars...Alex Blake! Abe Speller! Straight up barn burner... almost unfair shock and awe after the prior chill vibe... Foot-foolin flame-throwing stomp and grind... Slipping in as an unnamed presence, then actually named: "We miss you Jimi!" David soulful, versatile vocals and wailing axe tones Sonny! Space-ghosting figment of imagination, storming through and gone. Back to midnight cruise soundtrack territory, updated as blowtorch-song... Reminiscent of Previn.... rounding out mid-tempo flow orchestras... Dave's guitar licking curls of flame and smoke, mood lighting, shadows in motion... Soul imbued throughout the landscape, in every gestured expression. cymbal splash and piano accent.... Hearing Carlos's spirit throughout, dancing incendiary lines across a multi-spectral journey of solid and liquid tunes, grooves and moods.... Enjoy ECHOES OF THE MASTERS 2 Vibe excursions of combustible, oozing, glistening, masterful fusion. Charles Blass