A f ine stringstroker in the league of
Chuck Loeb is
Randy Roos, known in the early 90s as
George Jinda's World News sidekick. At its most dynamic,
Liquid Smoke engages diverse rhythmic patterns which both haunt the spirit and heighten the pulse rate. Starting off with moody, melodic noodling,
Roos builds slowly to a climactic hook explosion, complementing his guitars with exotic percussion and
Ole Mathisen's punchy sax. "Copan" is the centerpiece, sucking the listener into a jungle of atmosphere and beat. While the unpredictable edges pop up just often enough on the mellower cuts to keep things interesting,
Roos stops here and there to remember what label he's on. It's a big mistake, resulting in bland exercises like the flame dousing "Newfoundland". As with World News, the trick for listeners is programming out the mellow and concentrating on the groove. ~ Jonathan Widran