Child's Play ‎– Child's Play (1979, LP, Usa)

Tracklist:
1. 'sNo Danz (6:05)
2. Stella (By Flashlight) (7:18)
3. Captain's Groove (6:10)
4. Jonquille Pour Moi, Stanley? (5:28)
5. Little David (5:38)
6. Bossa Who? (4:40)
7. Melichar Babie (8:15)
8. The Gnome House That Franco Built (4:26)

Musicians:
Bruce Ford-Fyffe / piano, writing
Richard Lumpkin / writing, electric bass
Stanley Clarke / writing
Merrill Reese / writing, drums
Muddd / guitar, writing, synthesizer

Child's Play are an all instrumental progressive fusion band from Richmond, Virginia who successfully mix melodic and atmospheric composition with kinetic jazz school chops. Piano and electric guitar get the lion's share of attention, and the tracks move at a fast clip, keeping the listener's attention focused at all times. Plenty of excellent guitar solos, with some wah-wah applied to great effect. I really appreciate the psychedelic tones he achieves. The ivory tickling here is very impressive as well. The rhythm section does a great job of holding it all together with some crisp fills and meter shifting. Actual attention is paid to composition as well, so the album is not just a flimsy excuse for non-stop boring solos. For 70s fusion fans, this is a guaranteed hit. File alongside Genre (New Mexico), 3PM (North Carolina), and Momentum (California). Album is on Moonlight Records of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (ashratom)