Crossing Lines

Album review

The sprightly electro-funk jam band Vida Blue released a pair of studio albums and one live set in the front half of the 2000s before their helmsman, Page McConnell, retired the project and resumed his primary role as keyboardist for Phish. Formed in 2001 during a Phish hiatus, Vida Blue's original lineup was essentially a power trio with the fleet-fingered McConnell joined by bassist Oteil Burbridge (the Allman Brothers Band, Aquarium Rescue Unit) and drummer Russell Batiste (the Funky Meters). They enjoyed some success on the jam circuit for a few years, then played their last show together at Bonnaroo in the summer of 2004. Following a 15-year gap, Vida Blue make an unlikely return, and this time as a quartet. Newcomer Adam Zimmon joins the core trio on guitar for 2019's Crossing Lines, adding new dimensions while respectfully adhering to the spaciousness of their original setup. Of the album's eight generally lengthy cuts, only two are instrumentals (the dubby "Weepa" and the Meters-esque "Real Underground Soul Sound"), marking a trend that favors McConnell's more structured, lyric-driven songwriting. Opener "Analog Delay" is a rather hard-hitting funk-rock track built around a big, loping electronic groove. It's about as heavy as Vida Blue get, with the album's midsection given over to more laid-back fare like the low-key funk of "Where Did It Go" and contemplative electric piano-driven cuts like "Phaidon" and "Maybe." The 11-minute closer, "If I Told You," is a colorful, lightly psychedelic journey whose bookend verses sandwich an expansive instrumental section, some of which features the Spam Allstars, the Afro-Cuban ensemble who were an integral part of Vida Blue's second album. As on earlier releases, the musicianship and interplay between these musicians is excellent, and while Crossing Lines doesn't necessarily feel essential, it has its moments and marks a worthy third chapter in the band's canon.
© Timothy Monger /TiVo