antiMusic.com: Vernon Neilly - Outta Time Review

Vernon Neilly - Outta Time

by Kevin Wierzbicki

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Guitarist Neilly wrote all of the songs on Outta Time with the exception of two versions of a cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Fire" that bookend the album, with the second version being an extended version. Of course there's no sense trying to outdo Hendrix on the guitar, but Neilly and guest ax-slinger Greg Howe (Michael Jackson, Rhianna) take turns playing incendiary leads while the song takes on a different kind of cool from Jimi's version thanks to a loping rhythm. Of the six originals, the Frank Zappa-informed "Git Yo Lyfe Rite" with additional guitar from Victor Johnson (the Busboys, Sammy Hagar) is a stand-out as are the bluesy strut of "So Far Away" and the tropicalia of "Nassau Nights," a Latin-flavored dance number that maybe should have been called "Havana Nights." Perhaps the track that everyone will be talking about though is "Meta Funk Trip," because it features current Megadeth guitarist Kiko Loureiro. Don't expect Neilly to go all heavy metal for the track though; the cut is sublime jazz fusion where Neilly, Loureiro and third guitarist Jennifer Batten all take solos while two bass players and drummer Cuca Texeira lay down the funky beat that the song title refers to. With the stellar guest list also including guitarist Frank Gambale (Chick Corea, Return to Forever), bass man Doug Wimbish (Living Color, Jeff Beck) and drummer Steve Ferrone (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Average White Band), it's no surprise that superlative musicianship is on display throughout Outta Time.