By: John W. Patterson
apse is laid back, jazzy, guitar hero rock, Zappaesque and Ron Thal-like guitar and
vibes jams. I kept hearing Thal's The Adventures of Bumblefoot. Hughes is not copying any of
these styles but the influences seem evident. Tracks one thru three, ":)", "Angular", and "Cats 'n'
Dogs" each have the Thal/Zappa twisted feel and inherent fun ride to them. Crank these up for
the full range of effects. On "Moods" a mellow Vinnie Moore guitar styling comes through
without any bach-rock noodlings, just a well-done ballad here. Immediately Hughes flows into
track five "With an 'E' " in a bizarre little ditty of tortured whammy bar leads and
ascending/descending wah-wah scales, and fiery Steve Vai styled accents of his Flexable era.
Vignettes of curiosa guitarra eclectica wail forth upon thou. "Odd" is up next with again a Ron
Thal feel but a tinge of Ronnie Montrose and some Jeff Beck. Thal's frenetic axe-torturing
around the 22th fret is clearly evident in Hughes' lead stylings as well as his tension
building/release modes. Compositional framework calls to mind Zappa but not nearly as frantic
here. We end things up with "Mr.Man", a boogie-down, earthy, nite-club jam out, lick tradin'
fest with guitarist Bill Pierce. This piece lacked the dimension displayed in the rest of the CD's
songs and well -- was not memorable. It was good licks, good playing, but a snoozer song-wise.
Scott Hughes does excellent guitars, sequencing, and drum programming throughout. Bill
Pierce guest guitars on "Mr. Man" with Jim Goss keys soloing on "Angular". If you liked Ron
Thal's debut release then get Scott Hughes' Lapse.
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