"The Edge of the World" is Dragonfly's newest release. This beautifully done double CD set is out on Red Star Entertainment. When first picking it up, you might think that it's merely a soft-covered CD case, but really it's a bound book of the same dimensions, full of lyrics and pictures of the band. You might think this Boston-based band is modeling for a Ray-Ban commercial, as they're pictured mostly wearing sunglasses and trying to look like a combination of Bono and the Mod Squad, walking five-across through a desolate desert landscape and looking very self-important. Speaking of Bono, the group cites U2, the Beatles, the Who, Tom Petty and the Cure as some of their influences. Though they certainly hope to live up to some great names, I wonder how this young group, only assembled by Peter Parcek and Miki Singh in 2001, can already be putting out double-sets and trying to look artsy in their album's book. They back themselves up musically, however, and are the best session pros around today, and so I won't begrudge them for the liberties they've taken.Miki Singh is lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist. With a voice sometimes grave and sometimes smooth, he belts out songs that cross genres, from alternative rock to blues and funk. Peter Parcek is the lead guitarist, Steve Scully supplies the drums, percussion, and background vocals and Marc Hockox performs on the bass. Session keyboardist, and former member of the Del Fuegos, Brother Cleve is the DJ and also plays the keyboard. All the songs are well-supported musically, with rich bass and vocal accompaniment that could never be called sparse. Produced by Ducky Carlisle, (Bleu and Susan Tedeschi), the songs have a multinational flavor since the CDs were drawn from influences all over the world. Arranged in Morocco and recorded on the French Caribbean island of St. Barthelemy, the album was first performed at the Maldives.
The first disc starts off with a rousing rock number called "Find You," which is mellow though upbeat. None of the songs here will hurt your ears. Next is "When the Day is Done," which is slower and features Singh singing plaintively by himself. "Don't Let's Go Again," stands out with its reggae beat and noticeable bass during the choruses. Later in the song, intricate guitar work accompanied by sassy vocals is backed up with electronically synthesized beats, sounding both jazzy and Mediterranean at once. "Wedding Ring" is a full-out ballad about a girl leaving a relationship. The lyrics wonder: "but I thought forever/ was a longer thing/than the past endeavors/ that keep happening," as the singer moans about his ring. All the music is more mature and musically developed than your average teeny-bopper fare, to be sure. None of the band members are young, and I'm sure between them all, they have plenty of life experience from which to draw. "She Hates It," also features a great jam session and impressive guitar riffs.

On a whole, I prefer the second disc. "Lay her Down" starts with smooth melodies and drifts with the help of the singer's earthy voice in a relatively slow song. The CD has greater variety, with more electronica influences than the first. "Beautiful Thing," might leave you thinking you were caught somewhere between a Moby song with Singh sounding like Marilyn Manson. "Mama" sounds more like funk and groove, while "Still Got My Guitar," has electronic synthesizers that reminded me of U2's "Elevation." Near the end, "Rescue" is another jam session, with more drums, that will set your feet tapping.

If you like classic rock influences combined with ambient groove and hints of funk, "The Edge of the World" will definitely suit you. A 5-man band comprised of members that are already well-respected, Dragonfly has put out an album focused more on the instrumentals than the lyrics. Though after listening through a few times I already like the album more than I did initially, I doubt this will become a staple of my CD collection. Still, a solid effort, and I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of this group. Hopefully, though, they'll find a better concept for their album packaging.