Lucas, White & Edsey "LWE" CD

Lucas White & Edsey

Regular price $8.00

Lucas, White & Edsey is a pre-The Cyberiam project of Frank Lucas.

By opening their self-titled album with a group of children reciting a sing-songy version of the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. flag, keyboardist Frank Lucas, drummer Chuck White and bassist Steve Edsey prove early on that their self-titled LWE debut will be unlike so many other instrumental progressive-music CDs flooding the marketplace these days. First of all, there are no guitars. Lucas' piano propels this music into a feel-good stratosphere, while the rhythm section of White and Edsey provides a mighty backbone. (The subtle potency of this trio is no surprise, really, considering that all three men have gigged with the likes of guitarists Michael Angelo and Neil Zaza, as well as the prog-metal band Ion Vein.) Edgar Gabriel, a principal violinist for Cirque de Soleil, also appears on three of LWE's eight tracks. 

Comparisons to Emerson, Lake & Palmer and the Chick Corea Electrik Band might be overstated. This music is less pretentious (although no less dramatic) than ELP's work, and it lacks the blatant fusion references of Corea's late-1980s/early-1990s outfit. Instead, listeners get a steady 54-minute stream of clever, quippy and wholly engrossing music that includes the marvelous, bouncy opener "Liberty," the beachcomber anthem "Hasta Manana" and "The Nightcap," an uncharacteristically dark, mysterious and sexy piece. LWE milks its cleverness with songs whose titles reference the Chicagoland trio's influences: "A Note to Jordan" (as in Dream Theater keyboard maestro Jordan Rudess) and "Waiting for Bela" (as in premier banjo player Bela Fleck). 

Count LWE among the most promising acts on ProgRock Records' burgeoning roster of talent. 

- Sea of Tranquility

Musicians:
Frank Lucas – Keyboards
Chuck White – Drums
Steve Edsey - Bass 

Tracks:

  1. Liberty
  2. Sleight Of Hand And Foot
  3. A Note To Jordan
  4. Hasta Manana
  5. Waiting For Bela
  6. The Nightcap
  7. A Dog And His Boy
  8. The Good Life

Format: CD
Artist: Lucas, White & Edsey
Release Date: 9.12.2006
Cat. No.: PRR180