by John Kindred
– Publisher —
Based in Los Angeles, guitarist Vernon Neilly is an established musician who, over the course of his career, has worked and performed with the late Johnny Guitar Watson, Steve Vai, Greg Howe, Jennifer Batten, Slash and several other well-known artists. As a solo artist, he has released four solo albums and musically taps into a multitude of genres when composing, such as Classical, Jazz, Blues, Rock, Funk, R&B, Hip-hop and Country.
Vernon returns, once again, with his fifth solo CD, entitled Outta Time. On this release, he has joined with an impressive list of virtuosos guitarists and bassists on this seven-track outing. Featured players on Outta Time include Greg Howe, Frank Gambale, Jennifer Batten, Kiko Loureiro, Mattias IA Eklundh, Victor Johnson, Doug Wimbish, TM Stevens and Juan Nelson.
Musically, Outta Time is a mixed bag of musical tricks. The album offers up diverse explorations within genres with impressive musicianship provided by the players.
Opening with a cover of Hendrix’s “Fire,” the edited version with slower tempo lacks the energy and drive of the original. The song showcases one of the better vocals by Neilly on the CD as well brilliant solos from Howe and Neilly. After “Fire,” Neilly begins to jump around among genres from a Latino groove on “Nassau Nights,” Rap-like talking vocals on “They Don’t Care” and “Outta Time,” to the Bluesy “So Far Away.” On songs where Neilly actually sings versus talk/rap vocal lines, his R&B influences stand out. His voice is mellow and soft, and the songs offer vocal harmonies in the choruses that also reflect this quiet delivery. “Metal Funk Trip” is the last original track on the CD. The title is a bit misleading, as the music has a heavy power chord rhythm in the background. But the sounds riding upon it are Jazz/Fusion, with Loureiro, Batten and Neilly offering tasty solos. Closing out the disc is the extended version of “Fire,” offering another minute and 20 seconds of music.
After giving this disc a complete spin, listeners will be underwhelmed by the songs. The players obviously bring high caliber musicianship to the project, but the arrangements seem to fall flat, lacking energy. If you are looking to hear amazing fretwork, then Outta Time has that going for it. Unfortunately, the deliberate change in the tempo of “Fire” sets the pace for the entire CD. Repeating “Fire” at the end of the album and extending it is like driving another nail in the coffin; it just is a little longer and takes a few more whacks to get it in. What looks good on paper isn’t always a winner.
Genre: Fusion, Rock, Funk, R&B, Smooth Jazz, Pop, Blues
Band:
Vernon Neilly (g)(v)
Track Listing:
01. Fire (Single Edit) – Greg Howe, Vernon Neilly (guitar solos) Vernon Neilly (vocals) TM Stevens (bass)
02. They Don’t Care – Doug Wimbish (bass) and Khalif (vocals) Vernon Neilly, Bill Hudson (guitar solos)
03. Outta Time – Mattias IA Eklundh (guitar solo) Khalif (vocals) TM Stevens (bass) Eric Valentine (drums)
04. Git Yo Lyfe Rite – Vernon Neilly, Vic Johnson (guitar solos) Vernon Neilly (vocals) TM Stevens (bass) Eric Valentine (drums)
05. So Far Away – Vernon Neilly (guitar solos & vocals) Charles Glen (bass) Steve Ferrone (drums)
06. Nassau Nights – Vernon Neilly, Frank Gambale, Cacau Santos (guitar solos) Derrick Murdock (bass) Cuca Texeira (drums)
07. Meta Funk Trip – Vernon Neilly, Kiko Loureiro, Jennifer Batten (guitar solos) Philip Bynoe, Juan Nelson (bass) Cuca Texeira (drums)
08. Fire – Greg Howe, Vernon Neilly (guitar solos) Vernon Neilly (vocals) TM Stevens (bass)
Label: Independent
Web: https://www.facebook.com/vernonneilly
Hardrock Haven rating: 6/10
