I was duly impressed with the last release from Rare Blend titled Evolution Theory. Now a new album has arrived and I could feel the anticipation mounting as I waited for its arrival. Stops Along The Way, their fourth album, did not disappoint in any way. This is their strongest work to date.

As with the previous album, most of the CD comprises instrumental tracks with a few vocal tracks (“Miles To Go” & “Heading Home”). The opening track “Illegal Aliens” kicks in with some hard driving electric guitar then everything else joins in the fun…a thumping and weaving bass line, timely drums, and the a Uriah Heep (Ken Hensley) like organ makes the entire scope of the composition very tasteful and complete. “Mystic Jam” is one of my favorites, it has a Middle Eastern flavor and influence, which always seems to work so well when employed for a jazz fusion composition. “Feast of The Warrior” takes all of those elements to another level; it is a real nice number and very eclectic. Smooth jazz finds a home in this song yet it does not take up permanent residence, this band is much too talented to allow a song to stay on one course. Typically, they take it into many different directions, combining jazz, rock, and progressive superbly. “Off To Arizona” has a definitive western Latino atmosphere, which is perfect for the different cultures and climate for that area. The track allows you to envision a beautiful picturesque butte or the Painted Desert in your mind’s eye. If you have ever been there, you will know exactly where I am coming from. This album is all about helping you to envision what they are trying to project through their music and once again, its mission accomplished magnificently.

The title of the album really puts this music into proper perspective; literally, Rare Blend makes many Stops Along The Way on this musical train during the course of this recording. This is a very satisfying listen for ears relentlessly searching for a nice change and something to keep your interest from start to finish. Again, the musicianship is beyond reproach, most notably Vic Samalot’s fretwork, which seems to engage everyone else in the band effectively. Bobbi Holt impressed me once again as a vocalist that could do a lot more if she had the opportunity to stretch out a bit, but that is not what this band is about, it’s a little bit of this and that to keep things fresh and diverse at all times.

This band knew exactly what the words Rare Blend meant for them before their adventure started. It is obvious to me that before they set out on such a fantastic musical discovery that the intention was to present something inviting and thought provoking, a sound that would arouse your curiosity and sense of adventure while making your ears stand up and take notice. They did it for me again, what a great album this is.

It's really astonishing what brilliant bands you can discover if you dig deeper and don't rely on the crap being published by most of big major companies. RB should appeal to everyone who likes a good rocking mixture of Jazz Rock / Fusion with a light Latin and Funk touch..

This album offers interesting and pleasant holidays for the ear.

Trains have inspired artists ever since they began to reshape our ideas of travel, velocity and lifestyle. Trains function as a metaphor for time and space. The confined space of the inside, where strangers spend some time together, provides the ideal framework for interesting stories. The world outside ranges from as familiar as home to the most exotic, foreign places with all those varying attributes of adventures, dangers, unsuspected beauty to the down right banal. This is the world in which Rare Blend takes us with this album. And because we all have somehow train traveling experience we are drawn in by the familiar and led by the music to places, weird and wonderful.

What is of importance to the music is that rhythms come with trains. Apart from the clickety-clack of the railway joints, changing tempo with the speed of the train, there are also other visible rhythms as provided by the changing landscapes and translated into music lending the music complex rhythmical patterns.

Rare Blend exploit this subject ingeniously in several ways. As suggested already by the title, [Rare Blend] Stops Along The Way, they pick thematically differing 'destinations' without disrupting the impression of a journey thus introducing a wide range of themes.

Although all but two songs are instrumental, the song titles give enough of an indication to let, in connection with the music, the journey unfold. The listener has at no time the feeling of getting lost somewhere along that way. Bobbi Holt's vocal performance is of outstanding quality and compliments the instrumental part of the album with the voice blending in with all the other musical influences.

Well rooted in rock, fusion and jazz, Rare Blend's accomplished way to draw on folk and world music elements contributes to a varied style and completes the impression of a long journey. A journey that, after repeated listening, I still find well worth of undertaking. Highly recommended!

Fans of jam bands and fusion jazz stylings will find plenty to like on this album. I’ve included it in the progressive rock section because there is enough rock here amongst the jazz-like arrangements to quality it there, but it is quite close to the jazz genre. Most of the material here is purely instrumental, but two tracks do have vocals. While the sounds of the disc fit pretty well into the fusion arena, they are quite varied from track to track and you might find yourself hearing a number of other acts (some not even fusion oriented) showing up in the mix.

This is as tasty as fusion gets - very structured, very "lyrical" for mostly instrumental work, plus liberal rock moves to give it added weight and kick. Vic Samalot is one tasty "feel" guitarist who also has the chops to make his compositions smoke: Carlos Santana is an obvious touchstone here, but the music itself crosses many boundaries evoking Yes, Tribal Tech, and others. His supporting cast comprises Bobbi Holt, keyboards; Jeffrey Scott, bass; Vince Broncaccio, drums and percussion; Gabe O'Brien, percussion.

The cleverly titled "Cole Train" is but one example of Rare Blend's ability to create music that sticks with you long after you're done listening. Most of these tracks are in the 3-to-6 minute range, including three improvised jams recorded live in the studio. Stops Along The Way stays on track for a delightful ride.