Drummer
Gene Lake, the son of renowned alto saxophonist
Oliver Lake, comes on strong with his solo debut. Anyone familiar with Lake's work behind the likes of Meshell Ndegeocello, Steve Coleman, and
David Fiuczynski would expect the drumming on
Cycles to be phenomenal, but more surprising is
Lake's talent on electric bass and keyboards. Aside from a sprinkling of guest guitarists and keyboardists (Fiuczynski, Bryant McNeil, Federico Gonzales Pena,
Andy Milne, Scott Brown),
Lake plays everything himself, and the results are often staggering. Highlights include the opening "Steppin' Up" and Pena's "The Verdict" (the one track not penned by
Lake himself). Those with a knee-jerk allergy to jazz-funk fusion need not apply. Recorded by
Lake over the course of the mid to late 90s, these tracks range from highly melodic and mellow to out-and-out head-slamming. ~ David R. Adler