Short Reviews [Vernon Neilly - 2016 - "Outta Time"]

Bahamian composer and artist Vernon Neilly is, apparently, a Billboard charting artist with a great deal of success in the past and the present. For me he is more of an unknown entity, although I do recall encountering him on a Stevie Wonder tribute album a few years back. "Outta Time" is his most recent album, basically an EP expanded to album length by adding two versions of one song. Hence I regard this production as an expanded EP. It is quite the roller-coaster ride this one. The two versions of Hendrix tune Fire are the most interesting of the lot, a good song given some nice, fat chops and flowing guitar solo runs, although some talking vocal spots is a tad detrimental. Other than that: Good, funky hard rock. The Latin inspired and Santana oriented Nassau Nights as well as the cool funk of Metta Funk Trip also shine rather bright, again with the guitar chops and solo runs as the highlights. Other cuts have a harder time to impress however, and the less is said about the rap hard rock attempts on They Don't Care and Outta Time the better. Underwhelming affairs, despite the quality axe work. Those who treasure quality guitar work no matter what the setting is might probably want to track down this expanded EP, and the good songs here are rather good too I should add. But the rocks between the nuggets of gold comes across as material for the very specially interested, and apart from the Santana-oriented cut Nassau Nights there's really not too much of interest for a progressive rock fan either. One to approach with a bit of caution, unless you are a really die hard guitar fan.