The Funky Supervillain

What strikes me most about this album is how well stories are told through music. Aside from jazz, I'm a big fan of film scores. Many are great at setting a mood, few help set the pacing. Storytelling in comics is vital. Without clarity in storytelling, it's all just a bunch of pretty pictures. It makes perfect sense to me that Lyman chose Jim Mahfood, a cartoonist/storyteller with a funky drawing style, to illustrate the cover.

Starting with Tastycakes, we're greeted by Lyman's upright bass. The snare drum snaps into place and the rest of the Lower Level explodes with unbridled joy, like they've just discovered music for the first time. The trumpet blasts with pure LOVE ringing in every note, and duels with the piano. This HAS to be my favorite song on the album.

Immediately thereafter, we're transported to a dark smoky lounge. The spotlight shines on the sweetest voice I've ever heard, on a cover of Feel Like Making Love. The siren song of Jessica Vautor can also be heard on I Only Have Eyes For You. If you don't have someone to share this song with, FIND ONE, dammit!

Funky Supervillain launches us into a spy movie with a car chase, and four lunatics are behind the wheel. It fits right in with a Henry Mancini/Pink Panther composition. It starts with a dark kinetic frenzy, and it picks up speed from there.

Such a Beautiful Girl couldn't be anything else but the story of Lyman's relationship with his wife. From the initial pangs of loneliness, to that special spark, courtship, all the way to marriage and beyond, each tender moment is captured for us to celebrate.

Where Funky Supervillain is a frenetic daredevil car chase, Big Slick is a warm, relaxing drive on a dark, dusty highway between sprawling cities. The music picks up when you stop into a roadside diner. Pay the check and you're on the way to Smoothsville. It's a long journey, but you can't get lost. The solos are local attractions between metropolises. They reinvigorate the driver, and make the rest of the trip enjoyable.

Big City Dreams bids us a fond farewell. It's a joyous recollection of times spent together with great friends, and anticipation of future gatherings.

The only problem I have with the album is the ratio of original compositions to rearranged cover tunes. Beatrice, I Only Have Eyes For You, Snoopy's Search, and Red Baron are all performed wonderfully, and something new is brought to each song. However, they don't quite resonate as well as Lyman's own creations. His greatest strength lies in the personal stories he tells, and how he lets us into his world.

This is truly a fantastic piece of work. I've listened to the album at least five times a day over the past six days. When I'm not able to listen to it, I find myself humming it.

The Funky Supervillain. "Learn it, live it, love it."