Detour

Album Review

In his liner notes to Detour, Jason Raso goes into great detail about how difficult it was to finish this CD. His first two attempts resulted, in his words, in the feeling that "something was missing." The third attempt ended up with a mix that he did not like. Finally, on the fourth try, he was able to come up with enough performances to finish the CD. But after listening to this set, one wonders if something is still missing. Few of the songs are the least bit memorable and the end result is practically one long bass solo. Six of the songs have Raso as the only musician, sometimes just on bass and occasionally adding his keyboards, guitar, and drums. The other musicians who are used on the remaining tracks have little to do, with Raso's "accompaniment" often being in the forefront. Two selections have throwaway vocals (with one including a rap). Jason Raso is a talented bassist with very impressive technique and a wide imagination so the music on Detour is quite listenable. But the lack of variety and the many forgettable originals make the end result less than it could have been.