Hi-Res Downloads

96kHz/24-bit FLAC, In-akustik/Zebralution 0169138 (supplied by www.highresaudio.com)

There’s no shortage of albums by drummers being released at the moment and this set is the third outing for Protocol, the outfit led by Simon Phillips and named after his first solo album of 1988. With as twenty years as part of Toto, Philips has also toured and recorded with the likes of The Who, Peter Gabriel, Joe Satriani, Tears For Fears and Roxy Music, to name just a few examples from an extensive CV. Recorded with the same core line-up as the previous Protocol album, with Steve Weingart on keyboards, guitarist Andy Timmons and bass player Earnest Tibbs, this album is more or less the definition of jazz/rock fusion, from Timmons’ wailing guitar to Phillips’ precise drumming. It opens with a little Indian percussion, but don’t let that fool you – this is a straight down the line powerhouse rocker, start to finish, and is treated to a clean, open sound quality throughout. AE

Sound Quality: 80%

Hi-Fi News Lab Report

With drums extending out to 20kHz and cymbal percussion to 30kHz+ (though how much is ‘real’ and how much is downstream distortion...), this 96kHz rendering makes good use of the bandwidth that’s afforded. PM