Euphoria

Following up his 1999 self-titled electronica/blues fusion, Euphoria guitar guru and Toronto native Ken Ramm continues the experiment with his new disc. This is drum & bass for the baby boom generation, owing a lot to the likes of Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix, at times reminding me of what Led Zeppelin might be producing were they not fixated on the past. The tracks are bluesy and ethereal with breathy female vocals merging with the guitar noodling and the electronic production provided by Madonna collaborator Glenn Hughes. At times it really works, on such chilled out tracks such as "In The Pink" and "Little Gem." At other points it falls flat, with the experimentation not proving cohesive, and falling into the tame adult contemporary arena ("By The Sea," "1001 Nights"). The most solid moments on the album are those like "Cactus," "Desert Drive" and "Silky Delta" which focus more on Ramm's guitar, and less on the techno flourishes.