Entrain'Live: Vol. 1 Rise Up '

Dolphin-Safe Records

Grade: A-

At Saturday's Great Horned Festival, many people were able to delight in the energetic sounds of Entrain despite the bad weather. I got only glimpse of them , but that glimpse was a good one, proving in a moment that this band is beyond being good. They are dance-worthy and praise-worthy.

The group's first volume of officially released live music starts of real good with, "Mo Drums" displaying their African drum skills and their ability to rouse the crowd with the energy of the drum. "Uncle Jolly," one of my favorite songs, is a jamming, fun journey emphasizing the feeling rather than the words themselves, leaving room for the band to have fun and throw in whatever they want, including a bass line from Hendrix's "Purple Haze."
"Cohiba," Spanish for "was choosing," has a Tex-Mex feel to it, with horns stabilizing the ethnic sound. It makes me feel like I'm in a Spanish restaurant being enthralled by a house band too good for the food. The extended sax solo is beautiful, floating and flowing above the drums and guitar to take the song to a higher level.

One of the highlights of the record is an 11- minute "Mother Street," a song that first borrows an old rockabilly guitar lick, then quickly transforms into a drum solo that ends many minutes later to be brought back to rock and roll life with a blazing guitar/keyboard intertwining explosion. The words aren't much but the amount of feeling is, and that's what Entrain seems to be about - the feelings. They'll scat, yodel, or yell to express what the vibe is like for them at that moment.

And after a couple feel-good fun songs, they get interesting with "Jeannie," a song using the theme song to television show "I Dream of Jeannie" as the melody for a song that is tribal, silly and completely engaging. You can't help but like a band that pulls something like this off.

The group ends the CD with "Mexican Bus," a reggae-flavored song heavy on the jam feel. It's a good way to end the album, displaying why they decided to release a live album because they are a great live band and should be credited as such. I recommend this album for anyone who missed the show Saturday as a way to hear what you missed. For all those who were there, you know how good they can be.