CD Review

Solo albums by artists in established rock bands are often tricky to predict. Sometimes they signify the beginning of the end for the band, while other times the artist is just trying to stretch their wings a bit and think outside the box of their normal realm. The latter is the case with the String Cheese Incident’s keyboard player Kyle Hollingsworth’s debut CD Never Odd Or Even. The album is a mix of new originals and SCI classics that Hollingsworth has reinterpreted, with some special guests assisting along the way.

Backed by some accomplished players from the Boulder scene, the album has a distinct feel of a SCI show (well, a studio version of one at least), as Hollingsworth dabbles in different genres while maintaining a strong and cohesive feel throughout. On the thirteen segued tracks, the listener is treated to beefy B3 grooves, space age electronica, Latin funk and jazz.

Cheese pal Robert Randolph contributes his sacred steel playing to the gospel-y, Church rave up "The Bridge" - a stand out track along with "Boo Boo‘s Pik-A-Nik," a song you can almost picture Hollingsworth mouthing along with as he plays. While sax man Joshua Redman lends a hand on "Crusade," which ends up sounding a bit like light jazz, and the SCI classic "!BAM!."

My only major complaint might be the placement of the one vocal track "Don’t Say’ buried almost two-thirds of the way through the album. It seems to come out of nowhere to only disappear and be forgotten among the remaining instrumental tracks.

While jambands seemed to get knocked for their studio efforts, Never Odd Or Even may change nay sayers minds - there is rarely a dull or self indulgent moment. The album also provides evidence of just much how Hollingsworth has help to develop SCI’s sound from acoustic bluegrass to edgier fare.

For more info see scifidelity.com/kyle