Beneath the Mask is the easiest and breeziest Elektric Band album in years, with Latin-flavored melodies that are concise and downright hummable. Corea’s atmospheric harmonies manage to be seductive without evaporating into nothingness.
On “One of Us Is Over 40,” the band even slips into a very friendly (and uncharacteristically African) lope. Corea weaves his tricks into a seamless musical fabric. And the Elektric Band—Corea, bassist John Patitucci, drummer Dave Weckl, guitarist Frank Gambale, and saxophonist Eric Marienthal—has never sounded better.
