The Doors Concerto: Riders on the Storm

Love him or hate him, Nigel Kennedy can play a mean fiddle. And on Riders on the Storm: The Doors Concerto, the violinist, arranger Jaz Coleman, and the Prague Symphony Orchestra pay energetic tribute to--who else?--the Doors. These instrumental string arrangements try their damnedest to avoid becoming elevator-music covers, but they only vaguely resemble the Doors' originals. The violinist loves a jam, and these arrangements thankfully give him plenty of room to solo. The longer tracks--"Light My Fire" and "The End"--work best, with Kennedy offering inspired playing and plenty of drama. Doors fans may be interested in hearing fresh takes on their favorite tunes ("Riders on the Storm," "Light My Fire," "The Unknown Soldier," and more), but those accustomed to Kennedy's more classical endeavors may be disappointed. Oddly enough, the living members of the Doors have nothing but great things to say about this disc. Strange days, indeed. --Jason Verlinde