Danny Heines' lush guitar work is accentuated by saxophonist and oboist
Paul McCandless and Brazilian percussionist Café on this, his second effort for Silver Wave. There's a palpable sense of temperate relaxation about the record, beginning with the easygoing breeze of the title track and continuing through the bossa nova read through "Blue Day."
Heines doesn't seem as concerned with building atmosphere as he was with his debut; this is important, because it was that preoccupation that tended to weigh down the modern jazz-influenced sections of
Aqua Touch. Just as the unaccompanied acoustic parts of his debut were its strongest,
Every Island shines most when
Heines is surrounded by the least. "Pinnacle Wheel" certainly accesses the contemporary instrumental sound. But with
McCandless' inspired soloing, lightly accented keyboards, and lush reverb surrounding him,
Heines is allowed to dance around the song's slight Latin vibe with his expressive guitar phrasing. While some later experiments with moody atmospherics don't work quite as well,
Heines' synthesis of island sounds makes for listening that's more easygoing than just plain easy. It's time to get that cabana wear out of storage. ~ Johnny Loftus