3 – …to The Power of Three

To the Power of Three (stylised as …To the Power of Three) is the only album by the British-American progressive rock band 3, a spin-off from Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Produced by Carl Palmer and Robert Berry, it was released in early 1988 by Geffen Records…

The Power Station is the debut album by the supergroup The Power Station, released in 1985 on Capitol Records. The album peaked at no. 6 on the US Billboard 200 and no. 12 on the UK Albums Chart. All three singles released from the album were Top 40 hits in the United States. An anniversary edition was released 21 February 2005, featuring 7 bonus tracks, as well as a 35-minute DVD. The Power Station was a supergroup formed by Robert Palmer, Tony Thompson (of Chic) and Andy and John Taylor from Duran Duran. They came together in 1984 to record a one-off album, as a respite from the relentless global touring and promotion of Duran Duran. The original plan for this one-album project was for the three musicians (Taylor, Taylor and Thompson) to provide musical continuity to an album full of material, with a different singer performing on each track.

“Harmony to please, varietie to delight, facilitie to invite thee…” In the preface of his collection of songs Pammelia, the excentric Thomas Ravenscroft praises the power of profane music, even more cheerful when sung among good friends! The Consort of Musicke, featuring notably Emma Kirkby and Paul Agnew, offers a nice florilegium of vocal pieces including the hits There Were Three Ravens and Three Country Dances in One.

This is an all-star summit that works quite well. Pianist Michel Petrucciani, a major jazz musician who had already led 11 record dates by this time (despite still being only 23), teams up with guitarist Jim Hall at the 1986 Montreux Jazz Festival for two lyrical duets: the altered blues "Careful," in which they comp exquisitely behind each other's solos, and "In a Sentimental Mood." Petrucciani and Hall are joined by Wayne Shorter on soprano and tenor for "Limbo," "Morning Blues," and the calypso "Bimini," and these songs feature some of Shorter's finest jazz playing of the era.

Three Days Grace's self-titled debut showcases the simplicity of their music, which is both the band's biggest strength and biggest weakness. The album's taut arrangements and grinding but melodic sound are quintessential alt-metal, suggesting a much poppier, less cerebral Helmet (or among Three Days Grace's contemporaries, Chevelle), and while the production is mostly simple and crunchy, it occasionally delves into Linkin Park-like atmospheres. At its best, the band's focus and adherence to alt-metal's formulas – coupled with tight songwriting and some unexpectedly pretty choruses – results in a strong tracks that are more memorable than the work of many of their peers. "I Hate Everything About You" was Three Days Grace's big single and remains the band's best song, gaining most of its power from its directness and bluntness in examining a dysfunctional relationship.