Here we have the latest solo album from Juan R Leõn (4, 5, 6, 8, & 12 string basses, synths), which is his first for MRR in this format, although as part of Stanislav and the Lion he has been involved previously. Recorded mostly live with no overdubs, here we have a very unusual album in that, as one can see from the instrumentation, it is mostly solo bass. Here Juan has brought together 20 years’ worth of recordings, as well as adding a new composition, so one can hear what can be produced when one is master of an instrument rarely thought of as being a lead in its own right.
It is not unusual for me to listen to instrumental albums recorded live, or with just one or two instruments, but I must confess to having some difficulty with this one. It starts with an absolute blast with “Snarl”, which sadly is by far the shortest song , where Juan demonstrates just how metallic and quickly a bass can be played as he rips up and down the frets, and I was truly hopefully for more of that, but it was not to be. I soon realised I was incredibly impressed by his musicianship and technical ability, as what he produces on this release is simply phenomenal, but was I actually enjoying the music? I remember when the shredders came out some years back there appeared to be a delight in playing a guitar faster than anyone else, and a great many people fell in love with Malmsteen, but I always felt he was technique over substance. Juan does not fall all the way into that camp, but there are plenty of times when I was thinking how clever it all was, as opposed to enjoying the music itself. It is a masterclass in playing the instrument, but unfortunately much of the soul and emotion has been lost. Unfortunately the end result is an album which is to be admired more than it is there to be enjoyed.
Rating: 6/10
Links:
https://juanrleon.godaddysites.com/
https://mrrmusic.com/