Mike PineraIn the Garden of Eden(M&E 21906, 1996, UPC# (none))(Category: Rock Music CD)With flavors of latter-day Santana on opening track, "Fantasy of Love," (three years before 1999's "Smooth," which resembles this) and Jimi Hendrix nuances permeating the trilogy "In the Garden"/"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida Revisited"/"In the Garden of Eden," guitarist Mike Pinera has put together an interesting 1996 set of arrangements in his production of new material, as well as two of the songs he has become associated with, his own "Ride Captain Ride," and former bandmate Doug Ingle's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida." It was the late Eric Braun, of course, who made the memorable riff so magical first time around, Pinera joining the Butterfly for their Metamorphosis album after Braun's departure. Jerry Corbetta shows up on this disc, as does the Blues Image conga player Joe Lala, and it is a complex and interesting look at the journeyman guitar slinger after he played with Cactus, Ramatam, Alice Cooper, and others. "Come Back," riff-wise, sounds like a middle-of-the-road Journey on their "Who's Crying Now" hit and is a delight, more contemporary than a "Can't You Believe in Forever," which is better suited for 1976 than 1996. "Touch My Heart" is one of the strongest tracks, a lovely, airy love song that has a great groove and a perfect vocal, while "The Bubble" deserves honorable mention as a nice early-'70s throwback. Why Steve Bryant is allowed to do a guest vocal and write a guest song on "Just One" is the question, it strays too far from the mood of this disc, and his voice is too forced, making it somewhat of a struggle to listen to. Though five different studios were utilized, from Criteria in Miami to Cherokee in Hollywood and Chester, Pennsylvania's Sound Spa, the remake of "Ride Captain Ride Revisited" just doesn't have that incredible, intangible aura of the original -- and the new, additional lyrics from Gail MacGregor don't add anything. It's fun as a novelty, but there's music on this disc that surpasses an important guitarist doing a "cover" of his original hit without giving it more introspection -- telling us where those 73 men actually went. Pinera's journeyman status and obvious talent deserve better from the music industry, and this album, though erratic, has enough sparkle to make a good argument for the veteran performer. At close to 70 minutes, he provides a lot of music for those who spend big bucks on collectible Blues Image recordings. (Review by Joe Viglione, AMG) Songs include:
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