Rating: 9/10

Track Amount: 8

Running Time: 1 hour and 4 minutes

Genre: Jazz Fusion

Personnel: Pat Metheny plus contributions from Chris Fishman (piano and keyboards) and Joe Dyson (drums)

Producer: Pat Metheny

Recording Location: Unknown

Record Label: Uniquity Music

Art Direction: Michael Johnson

Best Tracks: In On It, Don’t Look Down

Quick Verdict: A solid classic of Jazz Fusion glory

This is one of those album releases that is a bit left of the dial, so to speak. Pat Metheny is a legendary Jazz guitarist who has developed his own distinctive style. Notably, he achieved some fame via the Pat Metheny group, which was in existence from 1977 to 2010, which is a fairly long time for any music group to be making records and playing live. Since that band has disbanded, Pat Metheny has largely focused on his solo career. He has also won 20 Grammy Awards from 10 different categories over his lengthy lifetime as a reputable musician. This is his most recent release as such, and it has a brilliantly artistic and iconic album cover to match. No doubt that this will be quintessential listening from the outset, so let’s jump in and take a listen to this album, and hopefully it will sound as good as it should.

1. In On It begins right away with some neat and intricate Jazz Music, particularly on the guitar. This is a seriously fine instrumental that already seems to give this album Classic Album status as such. Pat Metheny plays some mean licks on the guitar, with intricate drumming and other supporting instrumentation to match it all. A really neat and driven tune that instantly sounds majestic and fantastic to listen to. This is the sound of real music, unlike much of the artificial Pop Music of today. This is a great and excellent mash-up of Rock and Jazz Music together into a tune that sounds wonderful and electrifying as such. This is effortless and brilliant overall. The sound of music delivered by a bunch of virtuosos, with its own originality and flair throughout, is the selling point of this album. Nonetheless, a seriously upbeat and brilliant listening experience that sounds superb. The music and performances throughout are seriously stunning. A very magical and sweet tune to hear overall. It stops in the midsection, instantly changing into a fantastic keyboard-led section of dynamic sound. This music is sweet, tasteful and fantastic in its originality. This is seriously adventurous and fantastic music at hand. Not at all bad for this sort of music. It seems that Pat Metheny can still create fine, fantastic and solid music to this very day, decades from when he began. Interesting and absurdly good listening. This has a cut-up section of drumming and random sampling of sounds galore. Needless to say, this is absolutely fantastic. Towards the end of it all, we resume action in a very neat and classy sonic way. The playing and performance throughout is an A Grade. A fantastic start to a really interesting album ahead. Worth every moment of listening. Energetic and iconic Jazz Fusion Music for all to enjoy.

2. Don’t Look Down launches into a pretty and blissful tune that sounds extremely Jazzy and neat. Pat Metheny and friends deliver a fantastic example of pretty, loveable and intricate Jazz Fusion that sounds absolutely killer throughout. The sounds and playing by Pat Metheny and his supporting musicians are absolutely sweet and divine to listen to. Not a dull moment is present on this album, even though it is clearly designed for those of you out there who dig Jazz Music instrumentals. A really awesome listen at hand, which sounds smart and cool. The mixture of intricate stop/start patterns and fluid musicianship truly makes this release come alive. It sounds particularly impressive, even on its own. A beautiful and appreciable instrumental tune and album that works wonders when in need of Jazz Music. All in all, a unique and fresh take on traditional Jazz Music styles and playing that sounds really awesome, sweet and great to listen to. This music certainly has a wonderful and magical listening appeal throughout it all. Pat Metheny is, without a doubt, a clever music genius, even on the first listen. The music and performances throughout, especially the drum solo near the middle, are fine and fantastic to hear. A really tasteful and divine tune that works well on many listening and emotional levels of music as such. Indeed, if you are a quiet and intellectual sort, then this Jazz Music will blow your mind. A refreshing and wonderful listening experience that needs to have more listeners out there. All in all, a very interesting, intricate and magical sounding tune with layers of sonic construction to explore. The music and playing are fantastic throughout. Understandably, if you are looking for Pop Music as such, this is not for you. Having said that, this music is seriously enjoyable for what it is. A seriously refreshing and glorious listen with a nod to the spirit of Jazz intellectualism as such. This music just keeps on surprising the listener throughout. As we gradually lean towards the end of this song, many keyboard and other sonic elements emerge, sounding really great overall. A magical listen, with a nod to the spirit of Miles Davis. A really classy and iconic soundtrack to listen to. This is enough to make one smile whilst listening to this album. It continues on with immortal melodies and symphonic playing that is absolutely sweet to listen to. A really nice and pleasant song to play, particularly at home. Some awesome gospel vocals finish off the main part of this track, followed by guitar parts and other mellow sounds to conclude. Very, very good. It ends magically.

3. Make A New World is a 10-minute-long piece. It begins softly, with some neat electric guitar, double bass and launches into a very sultry, jazzy-sounding tune at hand. Nonetheless, this continues to sound really fantastically amazing, through and through. Pat Metheny is a star on this album, and the music and magical ambience on this album are not to be dismissed. It sounds relaxing, like the sort of music you would play when being intimate with your lover. Sure, this may be somewhat of an acquired taste musically, but it works incredibly well nonetheless. It is very subtle and recorded in a way that isn’t overbearingly loud or compressed. This music is just fantastic overall. A fantastic and iconic listening experience is present on this album. A seriously interesting and sweet instrumental track is present here. This album is proof that one need not be in the spotlight necessarily to create solidly cool music overall. This is a bit of a niche album to listen to, but make no mistake, this is a winner of a listening experience. Solidly good and wonderful performances all round make this an ear candy listen that cannot be matched by many of Pat Metheny’s Jazz (or otherwise) Music contemporaries. The midsection flows very nicely indeed and just sounds absolutely killer. Many people dismiss Jazz Music as fairly blah, but this is not the case. An absolute winner of a tune that has a magical and musical power of its own. The second half of this piece changes rather dramatically into a more eerily melodic and subdued tune at hand. The music and sounds are incredibly lush and musical. Some layering of the sounds and melodies is present, and the interesting electronics do carry this along very nicely. This changes and shifts a lot in a sort of semi-trippy fashion at hand. All in all, a killer listen overall that sounds warped and sweet, in its own way. There is a breakdown towards the end with just guitar playing that sounds cool, with some light percussion added to the mix itself. A seriously awesome listen with light/shade and emphasis on the melodies, more so than just loud Poppy structures to it all. This continues on quite nicely and sounds magical and excellent throughout. A wonderfully awesome tune that sounds diverse and different. The music and sounds present are very original and inventive. A good 10-minute long listen that does not disappoint. Simply wonderful music. Very refreshing.

4. Urban and Western is a shorter piece with a subdued Jazz guitar sound and tone throughout. This quickly launches into an old-fashioned, smoky-sounding tune at hand. This does sound really nice and smooth, and is perfect for those of you who like listening to intelligent, yet relaxing music at hand. Organ is present on this track as well, which sounds very neat. A real winner of a listen that sounds super cool and driven in a very nice way, as such. There is a breakdown, followed by some more neat melodic playing. A seriously cool tune that is a slow burner, but does not run out of steam. A really excellent piece of music that has classiness, style and flair overall. Pleasantly good to listen to. A really neat and inspired instrumental that takes the nature of instrumental Jazz Music and puts it in a very inspirational and listenable output. The backing vocal harmonies are also a nice touch. This music deserves to be heard more often. A sweet and powerful listen overall that sounds quite cool. This music is a fantastic listen that needs to be discovered by more people. The guitars, drumming and organs all sound very professionally played. Washes of organ come in and out of audibility as such. A really dramatic and fantastic listen, and this tune is a serious winner. A very bold and awesome tune to listen to. Pat Metheny proves his worth on this album. It slowly moves towards its conclusion with Pink Floyd-style female backing vocal harmonies. Very cool and dramatic. It wraps up nicely with a glorious conclusion and climax. Another solid tune.

5. SE-O is a slightly shorter piece of music. It begins with an upbeat and driven tempo that makes a rather oddball-sounding Jazz Fusion glory by Pat Metheny. It quickly enters into a neat and surreal tune that has many differentiations and surprising music elements, with the band playing along nicely. A really Jazzy and fantastic song to listen to. This music is incredibly gorgeous and different in its very own way. A seriously sweet and cool piece with some neat drumming that deserves to be noticed on this particular track. All in all, a wonderful listening experience that sounds incredibly calculated and talented. This has many complex and interesting music sections to it all. The drumming and freeform guitar playing are the real stars of this instrumental, sounding superb in the process. A freeform and excellent listening experience, designed to be enjoyed at home more than anywhere else. The second half of this tune continues the energetic playing from before. This music is in a class of its own, and a very good one at that. For those of you who dig Progressive Rock and especially Jazz, you will be right at home on this album. A very awesome music performance that has some class and character to it all. The music sounds sweet and different on this track. A wonderful listen that does not disappoint. There are wordless male harmonies towards the end of this particular track. Absolutely awesome and exciting music to hear and to enjoy. Very lovely and sweet overall, and another solid gold winner to listen to. Different. The drumming at the end sounds very furious indeed.

6. Our Old Street is a five-minute-long piece that is a lot more downtempo than before. It sounds melodically beautiful as well. The music and performance are world-class and interesting to listen to. This music and playing sound sweet and killer. Indeed, for this unique Jazz Fusion Music, Pat Metheny crafts out a genre of his own, being unmatched by anyone else. The mellow and moody Jazz Music here sounds marvellously fantastic overall. A real winner of a listen. All in all, this is a relaxing and refreshing sort of piece. Not even Miles Davis himself focused on this sort of unique fusion of Jazz and Rock in his own way. The music and sounds are seriously cool to listen to overall. A lovely piece with some excellent drumming and percussion to match it. This sounds seriously neat and proves that on some occasions, vocals aren’t needed in music to make a point. A wonderful and pretty tune that has some crystal clear sounds that are marvellous. The piano and bongos are also a nice touch to this instrumental piece. A joy to listen to, with many layers of Jazzy intricacy to explore. This is music for the mind, rather than just monotonous beats. This gradually finishes in a very gentle way. An excellent instrumental.

7. Risk and Reward is a 10-minute-long piece that begins with some dark piano and accompanying instrumentation. This quickly enters into a great and Jazzy piece of music that sounds cool. This has a unique vibe of its own. Think along the lines of Miles Davis or John Coltrane with the guitar as the centrepiece instrument, and you are there. This enters into a fantastic piece of music that has many different and wonderful melodies to it overall. This gradually shifts into action with a pretty and upbeat nature to it all. For an album release in 2026, this is an outstanding listen that knocks down many competitors in the music industry. Hopefully, Matteo Mancuso will listen to this album and make a note of what is ongoing here. The music, playing and sounds throughout are seriously awesome to listen to. This travels nicely and changes into a melodic and lovable song that has some wonderful and stellar musicianship. The guitar playing by Pat Metheny is also seriously sensational. This music generates a great legacy of its own. It just sounds super cool and enjoyable throughout. There is a harp as well, thrown into the mix for some added sound. If you have an intelligent mind, you will easily dig this music for the most part. As we reach the midsection, flute melodies are thrown in, and the music goes from strength to strength. A neat and expertly played tune, which is a wonderful effort musically overall. This truly sounds wonderful and sublime musically. Seriously intelligent and excellent music to listen to. This is an awesome and mindblowing Jazz Fusion album that never disappoints. The music continues to shift and change in the second half, sounding very pretty in an original music context. A magical and tuneful piece that sounds exceptionally powerful and listenable. This moves and changes nicely without losing its musical approach or sensibility overall. As we approach the end, the piano, guitars and drums play along fantastically to its very end. This is so well done that it makes most Thrash Metal look lame. The piano is in the centre of this piece to conclude. Really excellent to listen to. A winner. It ends suddenly but dramatically.

8. So Far, So Good is the final tune with some acoustic guitar playing to begin with, for a change. It sounds pretty and dramatic, with a softer sonic emphasis as such. Hi-hats enter, and this tune gets going very nicely as such. This is the perfect sort of album to drink an alcoholic drink and light up a cigarette to. Its gorgeous and dramatic, playing by all sounds extremely interesting and chilled. A really, seriously fantastic tune at hand which simply delivers. This has some subdued and interesting instrumentation that is rock solid in its approach and feel. For Jazz/Rock fusion, this is blissful and sweetly melodic listening. The music and sounds are incredibly wonderful and pretty in this respect. This is mature music for those of you who don’t like EDM and nightclubs, for the most part. The second half sounds a lot quicker with a tempo change and extra instrumentation thrown into it all. A serious classic is heard here, just like the rest of the album itself. This is proof that, underneath the radar, the music of the 21st century is improving. A seriously wonderful and neat song. The music goes back to the acoustic guitar as a focus, with the hi-hat drumming thrown into the mix as well. Other sounds emerge as well. A really nice listen that has some beauty and glory to it all. This begins to wrap up this classic album very nicely. A neat listen.

This is an album that is very unique, clever and consistent to listen to. The music and performances overall are gorgeously dramatic, and Pat Metheny delivers a wonderful statement as a Jazz fusion artist. If there is a slight flaw at all, it is that most people who love postmodern Pop Music will no doubt not find this album interesting or listenable, given that it lacks Pop structures and vocals. However, do not be fooled, this album is a winner. Should you listen to this album? Give it a try, as even if you don’t get it from the start, you will appreciate its artistry. EDM heads should avoid this one, however.

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