Reviewed by James Tweed

The question used to be, can white men sing the blues?, but for the Dutch quartet Seraph it's can Europeans play jazz? For even though they cite American progressive jazzers Koinonia, the Yellowjackets and Larry Carlton as influences, Seraph's jazz-lite is more akin to their early-1980s Icelandic cousins Mezzoforte - perhaps best known in the UK for their up tempo instrumental hit "Garden Party". Throughout this 10-track album there is no escaping the high level of virtuosity each band member brings to his chosen instrument - drums, bass, guitar, keyboard and guesting saxophone - but, ironically for a group celebrating their faith, their music, while technically flawless, lacks soul. While never less than pleasant, in places the music is quite exciting, overall the album veers uncomfortably close to aural wallpaper. This ought to have been called Tales Of The To-Be-Expected' for, to be honest, if you are a fan this type of music it holds no surprises and you know already that you'll love this album.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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