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Rymo Kinetic Review by Gary Hill Rymo is a shortened form of Ryan Moran's name, and he's best known as the drummer for Slightly Stoopid. This solo album finds him joined by a number of musicians. Of special interest to prog fans are Tony Levin (who plays stick and cello on "Spy Theme) and Tom Griesgraber (who is on several tracks). Other guests are Marty Schwartz, Paul Wolstencroft and Farzam Salami. The album has some drum solo pieces, but you expect that, right? It also have a lot of other things that are fusion and prog based. There are quite a few world music elements at play, too. All in all, this is quite an effective release, and I say that as a person who isn't a big fan of drum solos. This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2022 Volume 1. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2022.

Track by Track Review

Symmetry 7 A drum solo starts the track and album. This short piece is a nice introduction.

Kinetic Coming in with a real fusion vibe, this cut has some hints of reggae and more. It's a soaring kind of groove that works really well. There are some non-lyrical (or at least non-English lyrics) vocals on the cut. The guitar solo on this is so meaty.

Palindrome There is such a cool fusion groove to this piece. It has a funky kind of energy and some hints of David Gilmour-like textures. Yet, it's probably more Al Di Meola than Gilmour, and even that is only so accurate.

Spy Theme There is some real drama and magic built into this piece. I love the jazz stylings of the number. It's all class.

Bembé Rumba Here we get another percussion solo. There is a bit of a tribal vibe to it. It's much longer than the drum solo that opened the album.

Skooby Snax This might be my favorite track here. It's decidedly fusion-like, but it has some reggae in the mix. The guitar solo brings some smoking hot rock with it.

Mr. Roboto Visits The Outback Another powerhouse fusion jam, this has some killer funky bass work. There is a cool section at the end that features didgeridoo and percussion only. It has an almost hypnotic effect.

Nebula I dig the melodic jam that starts this. It is more pure prog than fusion based. The bass line brings a bit of an 80s vibe with it.

Influx This is an almost Pink Floyd-like jam that features some killer guitar work along with didgeridoo.

Megalodon Coming in mellower and a little tentative, the didgeridoo emerges early along this road. This jam combines world music, fusion and some cool rock sounds to create something unique.

Cubism Percussion brings this into being. As the track proper comes into sight, it is essentially a reggae leaning fusion romp.

Changó This is another intriguing percussion solo.

Symmetry 5 Continuing with the percussion showcase concept, we get another here.

Hearin’ Everywhere I dig the cool fusion grooves on this melodic and compelling piece. This track reminds me a little of something Pat Metheny might do.

Didg-y-tar For some reason this makes me think of the kind of music I'd expect to hear in India. It's an intriguing piece of psychedelic world music.

Dream Flight This cut is one of the highlights of the set. It has some killer melodic excursions. The arrangement has a real fusion meets world music meets mainstream mellow rock vibe.

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