1996 - 220

2.5/5 

A highly anticipated rock instrumental album that never quite delivers. While there are some standout tracks here, the album feels forced. 220 starts off with rocker “Animal” - an odd choice because it’s one of the weaker tracks. It then moves into two of the stronger pieces, “Arrow,” and “Montana.” Keaggy then puts away his electric guitars for the beautiful, “Tennessee Morning.” It’s a great number that shouldn’t have been dropped in the middle of the album. 220 loses it way for a bit only to come back into focus for the super fun Celtic jig, “Highland.” Another great track that makes little sense in the context of the rest of the album. The coda, “Watt Ever,” is a fun jazz rock number that’s another piece of oddness in this schizophrenic record. 

Ultimately, 220 is an uneven collection of songs that range between several genres. A collection of often great tunes that make no sense lumped together. A missed opportunity. In 2019, Keaggy released a deluxe edition with bonus tracks on his Bandcamp site.