In truth, I have been waiting for quite some time for Mountain, or Leslie West, to reinvent themselves after the departure of Felix Pappalardi/Gail Collins. And, thankfully for all us fans, ... the time is NOW!

In fact, it turned uut all Leslie needed was a little help from his friends! This new CD, 'Unusual Suspects,' while influenced by the blues is much, oh so much more. Leslie, somewhat recently, released two blues albums which captured his blues roots. And were quite good. But there was something missing, in my opinion, of course.

This new CD showcases some new, moody, so-called power ballads (ie: 'My Gravity' and 'Legend') that were missing from any recent Mountain or Leslie solo work. It has some great bluesy tunes in the remake of 'Third Degree' (WBL fans will smile at the end), 'One More Drink,' 'Mud Flap Momma,' 'Higher Ground,' etc.

Was I hoping for more after listening to this new CD ... nope, this CD delivers everything and a little bit more! [JB]