Side Three
Singing the praises of the slithering, sinewy guitar work of Adrian Belew can overlook one of the most playfully creative, genre-be-damned musical minds in rock music. This final sonic panel in the ambitious, rapid-fire triptych Belew began with "Sides"OneandTwois easily its most musically adventurous. Belew reunites with the previous chapter's rhythm section of Danny Carey and Primus' Les Claypool to good effect on key tracks like the gritty funk fusion "Whatever," while other contributors include King Crimson main man Robert Fripp (the "flute guitar" of the spare, hypnotic "Water Turns to Wine") and Mel Collins (who lights up the moody "Beat Box Car" with a furious sax solo). Whether tripping through the sample-loopy Jeff Beck-meets-John Lurie ethos of the intoxicating opener "Troubles" or indulging his muse in sounds that range from the elegant pop classicism of "Men in Helicopters v4.0" to more experimental fare like the electro-pastoral "Cinemusic" and ominous "The Red Bull Rides a Boomerang Across the Blue Constellation," Belew has produced one of the most consistently intriguing albums of his career here.--Jerry McCulley