Awake in a Dream

Eleven was a so-called alternative rock trio of the early 1990s that drew heavily on the psychedelic rock and soul music of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Awake In a Dream is much too guitar-oriented to have been played on a Black radio station in 1970 or 1973, and yet, enjoyable selections like "Before Your Eyes," "All Together" and "Rainbow's End" make it clear that singer/guitarist Alain Johannes, bassist/singer/organist Natasha Schneider and drummer Jack Irons have spent a lot of time listening to the likes of Sly & the Family Stone, Ike & Tina Turner and Stevie Wonder. Schneider is also heard on the clavinet, a synthesizer that was prominent in 1970s soul and funk but was seldom used in the urban contemporary music that followed in the 1980s and 1990s. Not earth-shattering but usually decent, this little-known CD indicated that Eleven was a band to keep an eye on, even if commercial success eluded them.