Gene Lake - Cycles

Featured musicians on this CD include David Fiuczynski and Bryant McNeil on guitar, Federico Gonzales Pena, Andy Milne and Scott Brown on keyboards and a guest appearance by Oliver Lake on alto sax. Gene Lake characterizes the music on his debut album as "Midwestern funk-fusion". This description is accurate - the music is very familiar to ears raised on Prince, the Time, Slave and Lakeside on one hand, and Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return to Forever on the other. These groove-driven excursions hark back to an era when an R&B song could have improvisational leanings.

1) Steppin' Up
2) Face Da Funk
3) Us
4) Cycles
5) After Thought
6) Grace Under Pressure
7) Lovesong
8) The Verdict
9) The Real McCoy
10) Mental Funk
11) New Day
12) The End