Why only four stars, people?
Glancing at the PMG eMusic page, this was the only Metheny Group disc rated four stars. Look, I realize the arrangements strain towards appeasing pop and hip-hop, but... a few years after this was released Martin, Medeski, and Wood were basically doing the same thing and getting raves. Give PMG some credit here! All the tracks are great. "Here to Stay" contains a guitar solo that beggars belief--160 seconds, and when you think it's done, it goes all Marvin Gaye on you. What's more, the bridge on "Here to Stay," uses basically Brazilian instruments to create an icy vibe--very unusual and worth the time. To The End of the World" is magnificent; it takes multiple listenings to get its splendor. I'm not surprised you have to buy the album to download it. This isn't as good as the trip of "Offramp," "First Circle," and "Still Life/Talking," but those are eight-star albums.
