Detailed Reviews [Derek Sherinian - 2001 - "Inertia"]

(Note: My friend and brother in pen in our joint work in Acid Dragon magazine Thierry Sportouche (the publisher of AD) has sent me this CD for my review specially.)

Despite the fact that officially "Inertia" is Sherinian's solo album and actually he is the only 'staff' musician here whereas all the other four ones are mentioned separately (from Derek) as just "special guests" on the booklet's back sleeve, after a few listening to the album I've found that it was a wrong and at least indelicate decision to do so. Especially indelicate looks the CD cover on which Derek demonstrates himself together with his first and last names and the (right!) title of the album in a proud loneliness. It is because these "guest musicians" are those who created "Inertia" as it is for Sherinian fame's sake (oh, ex-Dream Theater!). There are just two or three perceptible (low register synthesizer) effective solos and about the same quantity of simple piano passages (that are as quite short as solos) done by Derek on "Inertia". Apart from these exceptions, it looks like either there's no keyboardist at all on the album or else he plays just chords as a background for the other Four (of guests). And these four guests are practically the only ones who bring up some creative, powerful and effective performance the album throughout. Their that strong and tight playing on "Inertia" calls to mind an impression that here we have a band whose members have worked together on at least a couple albums before. While I could, maybe (as if for some reason), agree that Phillips has invented not only his own brilliant, outstanding and perfect drum parts but also all Franklin's bass lines that are as endlessly diverse as Simon's drumming itself, I will never believe that Sherinian has composed all Wylde's wild and wonderful guitar acrobatics and even Lukather's firm fluid blues-like solos. If only I had a chance I would necessarily re-work and re-write anything directly related to the creation of this album, beginning with its cover. Then there would be a photo of the mighty Four placed under all their last names and the album's title "Energy". Then, Derek "Inertia" Sherinian would be mentioned just on the booklet's back sleeve as a special guest, as only his playing on the album clearly reminds me of inertia. Thus, if these wonderful special guests had been at least included in the album's line-up-as-it-is, and also if their real compositional contribution to the music had been properly marked, I'd rate that album as excellent. As for exactly Derek Sherinian's "Inertia", I feel too inert to think about it differently than as of mediocrity. VM. June 10, 2001

VM. June 10, 2001