Jorge- Jorge

Solo artist Jorge (like Madonna and Cher, he only has one name) is a much better guitarist than he is a producer. The spacey psychedelia of "No Colour" and the mellow instrumental strums of the awkwardly-titled "Synthetic Alien Guitar Band" bear this out, highlighting a guitar style that draws on everything from grunge and garage rock to reggae and punk. Unfortunately, the other aspects of this demo CD fail to stand up to the guitar's promise. "Carlos" and "This Killed Rock and Roll" stand out primarily for their bland rhythm and bass programming, while "DJ Jizz Jazz" starts off with an interesting mix of instrumental rock and hip-hop rhythms before trailing off into repetition. If many of the instrumentals are merely boring, the tracks featuring vocals are outright painful. "Cobra Commander" aims for eccentricity in the vein of classic grating punk bands like The Crucifux, but it's too irritating to listen to for pleasure and not quite bizarre enough to score points for sheer weirdness. "Used Car Salesman" is similarly bad, with distorted vocals yelped over what sounds like a pre-programmed Casio drumbeat. Jorge is clearly talented, but this CD shows an artist who has no idea what his own strengths and weaknesses are. He'd be much better off hooking up with a live band and just focusing on one instrument.

Visit www.jorgemusic.com for more information.