Reviewed by George Luke

The Damascus Experience are a 10-piece band from California led by Richard Spremich, one-time drummer for the Latin rock band Malo. Their bio describes them as "the Stelley Dan (sic) of Christian music". That's a bold claim to make to a confirmed Dan-ite such as myself (and if you are going to make such a claim, at least learn to spell the band's name properly!). So, did they measure up? I'd say they sounded more like the old Christian jazz fusion band Koinonia than anything else - a bit too MOR to pull off the Steely Dan sound convincingly. Musically, they sounded their best on the instrumental tracks. When they sang, their lyrics sounded a bit forced - filled with Biblical truth, yes, but still sounding like they were trying too hard. I think these guys would work best as an instrumental ensemble; there's nothing wrong with instrumental Christian music, after all. And, reader, if you are looking for Christian music that really does sound like Messrs Fagen & Becker, I'd recommend the Sweet Comfort Band, Bryan Duncan or some '70s DeGarmo & Key. or even some of the many Christians who've actually been in Steely Dan, such as Larry Carlton or Michael Omartian.

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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