In-VINCE-Ible!

Interestingly enough, you might have heard Vince DiCola's music and not known it. He composed the music for all of "Transformers: The Movie" and some of "Rocky IV" and "Stayin' Alive," the less-than-successful sequel to "Saturday Night Fever." What you might find even more interesting about DiCola is his sound. This disc is culled from several years' worth of recordings, yet a distinctive DiCola Sound permeates regardless of the year, project or players involved. To define that sound is always a difficult thing to do; I'll just say that it's very keyboard heavy, with a twist. There are two sections to "In-VINCE-ible!," one instrumental and one vocal. Some of the songs, in the vocal section especially, sound like they would fit rather comfortably on a WNUA playlist. However, just when you think you know where the song is going, it takes an unexpected twist, raising the eyebrows and perking up the ears in the process. DiCola is an incredible keyboard player. When he attacks some of the more technically demanding sections of his songs, the precision with which he plays is amazing. The notes themselves, as well as the spaces between them, are bright and clear. The melodies and motifs that DiCola works with are by turns engaging, pleasant and sometimes quite challenging, in a good way, to listen to. The instrumental section holds some of the true gems of the collection, particularly the piano solo pieces. "Montauk Moon" (from his "Piano Solos" release) is a beautiful, thoughtful piece that will enable you to get inside of DiCola's heart. As far as his digit dexterity, some of the more technically impressive pieces, such as "Concerto," illustrate his ability to take several right and left turns during a single composition, all the while holding fast to a theme, which the listener may hang his hat on and get it blown off all at the same time. The best songs on the disc's second section feature the vocal styling of Ellis Hall, who has such remarkable vocal control that it seems elastic at times. Along with Doane Perry, drummer with British rock legends Jethro Tull, DiCola and Hall formed the band Thread, which released their debut a few years ago. "Hands of Kindness," from that disc, is included on this collection. Another standout Hall vocal performance is the hook-laden "Just Hangin On." One of the most intriguing songs is the closing track, "Far From Over," from the "Stayin' Alive" film. Co-written with Frank Stallone, it's recorded here with a new, very intense vocal by Dick Reincke and it seems more sparse than the version I remember. Reincke's voice, although not as pliable as Hall's, provides a solidity to the song that takes it beyond a mere soundtrack song to a mediocre film. There is nothing on this collection that approaches mediocrity from any direction. It's all excellent. Fans of keyboard-oriented music will love this collection. Listen to this and let the DiCola Sound work on you. In this age of assembly-line music, this is one of the most truly substantive discs you're likely to hear. -- Ben Likens / Midwest Beat Magazine, July 2001 issue, "CD Spins" section