Title: Outward and upward..
Product review: It's been an interesting time for Bela and the boys lately. Quite an apt title, Outbound - this doesn't sound like a band's tenth album. It seems more like a beginning. They've got a new label and with new Flecktone Jeff Coffin on board they're reaching farther than ever."Scratch n Sniff" is bizarre jungle funk given the bluegrass treatment. The title track sounds as if they'd decided to listen to Weather Report for a week straight. "Something She Said" wordlessly floats on Shawn Colvin's wonderful voice; indeed, lyrics would probably only get in the way of this one. As if their own jambalaya stew of styles wasn't enough, the contributions of several guests from Colvin to Adrian Belew to Jon Anderson are tossed in for even more flavor. Though there are some evident influences (as always), Outbound is ample indication that this group is still full of energy and ready to explore whatever strange musical paths they find.
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