Album Review

Robert Taylor [allmusic.com]

Shadow Prophets was a marked improvement over The Heat of Heat, but it was obvious that GRP was trying desperately to find a niche for Kevin Eubanks. Despite a distinctive guitar style and an endless stream of ideas, Eubanks was again being molded in the same style as George Benson (the pop version). The inclusion of Mark Ledford also indicates an effort to ride the Pat Metheny wave that was so popular on contemporary radio stations at this time. Commercial efforts aside, there is some excellent playing here -- not just by Eubanks, but also by the underrated drummer Tommy Campbell, whose playing on the opening tune, ''Songhouse,'' is breathtaking. Eubanks was certainly compromising his style at this point in his career, but the folks at GRP gave him a little more space and creative freedom. The results are mixed, but worth exploring for the sheer fact that Eubanks is such a great musician and makes the most of this limiting style of music.