CONFUSION - ENTER ALONE - 2003

As is the case with their previous release “Genesis” the Greek trio Confusion again manages to bring their name into practice with the relatively short album “Enter alone”. With the same line-up as the preceding release, that is Achilleas Diamantis ((synth) guitars and keyboard programming), Panagiotis Haramis (electric and fretless bass guitar and keyboard programming), Takis Intas (drums) and guest musicians Stratos Diamantis (solo on track 1 and 5) and Kristieanne Travers (vocals on track 4), they offer almost 50 minutes of quality jazz-rock/fusion. The different styles they manage to interweave in their compositions causes the confusion I mentioned earlier: sometimes you wonder what type of music you are listening to.

Of course jazz-rock/fusion rules the roost. The first three tracks are rather conventional jazz-rock pieces that very much remind me of the early solo releases of Bill Bruford. Especially the guitar sound, melody playing bass and electric piano accompaniment are typical jazz-rock style. Nevertheless do these instrumental pieces contain some interesting details like the moody and tension building opening bars of "Quarter past three" (5:43). "Spanish way" (6:08) features a variation of guitar sounds (from heavy riffs to, of course, Spanish flamenco), melodious Spanish themes and a pleasant synthesizer solo with synthesized percussion. This certainly is one of the strongest pieces of the album. "Tripfall" (4:32) also shows a diversity of (synthesizer) guitar sounds, bass solos, electric piano and has some funky elements.

Up to now you probably won’t be confused, but you will be after listening to the exquisite vocal title track "Enter alone" (4:12). This is a very tranquil and floating piece that features the more than beautiful vocals of Kristieanne Travers. I regret it very much that this is the sole piece on this album where we hear her heavenly voice, that reminds me of Aleena, who featured the recent albums of Kaipa. Nice relaxing guitar play provides a colorful jazzy touch to this piece. Complex drum and guitar structures form the basis for the very contrasting more rigid and experimental piece "Voodoo" (6:42).

"Cacophony blues" (3:48) is, not surprisingly a compelling interpretation of an old fashioned blues piece (with a nice wahwah sound) and things get even more old fashioned with "Old times" (7:02). This is nothing more than an easy listening jazz piece with a typical jazz bass solo. Not exactly my cup of tea, although this also is a showcase of the craftsmanship and versatility of this band. “Edge of the world" (7:53) is an easy melodious jazz-rock piece with nice orchestral keyboards and soft percussion accompanying the melody played by guitar and bass. Final piece "Pico 'N' Hoover" (2:29) is a very experimental composition where drums and guitar just seem to play their own part.

High level musicianship and, apart from the fusion of musical styles, not very high-flown jazz-rock based compositions, is what Confusion offers on this album. A pity that it is rather short and even more a pity that the exquisite vocals of Kristieanne Travers aren’t exploited more extensively. Nevertheless and enjoyable album for lovers of not too complex jazz-rock/fusion.
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