It is pretty neat to see a musician who, after releasing many albums, produces something that may be his very best, and this after a long career of magnificent music. I wish he had more imitators. This album is so rich that it takes months to explore all of its facets.

In the future, the music on this album will be viewed as world class, and revered, as Miles Davis'; Mozart has competition.

DiMeola is one of those guys who really makes you miss the '70s. This is a good album. He still plays guitar very, very well. But this album lacks the vision, purpose, power, integrity and ingenuity of any of his classic '70s solo albums such as "Casino" or the brilliant (his best) "Elegant Gypsy". And OF COURSE, it doesn't begin to approach the awesome beauty of his work with Chick Corea's '70s fusion band Return to Forever on albums such as "Where Have I Known You Before" or the spectacular, incomparable "Romantic Warrior". It was nice to see some of his old friends like Chick Corea, Steve Gadd and Mingo Lewis join him on this album. Songs tend to be short and choppy. There are some interesting melodies and rhythmic devices, enough to get your attention. But, nothing really grabs you with any profound inspiration. DiMeola used to be filled with profound inspiration. It's a pleasant stab at injecting a dose of old fusion with more modern jazz. There is some pleasant music here, but nothing stands out. Nice album.........but it lacks luster.

The only conclusion I can come to after reading some of the negative reviews of this CD is that people tend to judge too quickly, and don't give the work time to "marinate" in their heads. The bulk of DiMeola's work for about the last 15 years requires (and I think deserves) repeated listening before public review. Even the negative reviews acknowledge that this is an instrumentalist of immense talent, and if there are any shortcomings I think they're primarily due to the understandable challenge of finding the right musical avenues to display it. So many people seem to want Al to relive the Elegant Gypsy days, but as good as that was he's been there, done that--there were no more places to take that style. DiMeola's current "world music" phase includes such highly structured and multi-textured performances that it's impossible to fully appreciate them on one or two listenings, and I speak from experience on this. I have been a fan of his since the RTF days and continued to buy his work, but actually lost interest in it for a number of years after "Kiss My Axe" in 1991. I bought "Orange & Blue", "Infinite Desire" and "Flesh on Flesh", but listened to them only occasionally and superficially until I heard "Orange & Blue" being played during a set break at (of all things) a Marian McPartland concert. I almost had forgotten I owned the CD, and upon my return home began playing it and Al's other later work almost continuously for several months. I then introduced it to a co-worker who was a big Metheny listener (as am I), and the contrast to that style made me appreciate DiMeola all the more--as good as Metheny can be, DiMeola's talent and versatility are second to none, and "Consequence" is a fine example of that. I challenge any guitar aficionado to listen to Tempest, Red Moon, or the subtle power of the solo in San Marco (Moderne) after the chorus and tell me this guy still can't rip it better than anybody.

Notice that the negative reviews of this recording almost all reference comparison to Al's early days, or make superficial Santana comparisons (which I think have only to do with latin tinged/world music and electric guitar--otherwise there's no comparison). This is more complex and interesting music than either Santana or early Al ever dreamed of--it takes a while to fully sink in.

The sticker on the cover of this cd announces its di meola's return to solid body electric guitar. I think this statement led many people think this was going to be Land of the Midnight Sun 2 or Elegant Gypsy 2. It is not and it is not meant to be. This cd is not that sort of electric pyrotechnic showcase, but it is an excellent release - my favorite since Tour de Force. While it has some quieter acoustic moments mixed in, it never dips into "soft jazz" and there is a lot of great electric and accoustic playing here. Red Moon alone would be worth the price, but there are many top notch tunes here and no clunkers. There is no techno synth sounds like Jeff Beck has been doing lately, which is a great relief. This is real guitar playing. Listen to this with the right expectations and I think you will hear a great guitarist, great interplay among outstanding musicians and an excellent recording.