Protocol 4 - Simon Phillips (2017)

Phillips (o_O O_o) has been around and been on some great albums. He’s been in the post-hitmaking touring versions of Toto and Asia, as well as featuring on several of my favorite Pete Townsend albums.

This is one of the series of fusion albums he’s done under his own name. He’s by far the most well-known musician in the band, but his band is still quite good.

This is sort of unreconstructed prog fusion, as if no new fusion music was made after about 1979. But it’s fun and they’re good at it.

Phillips has an amazing knack for getting just the right percussion sounds into the mix to complement everyone else, so that even when the the music is a bit over-the-top and skronky it still reads as elegant.