Yesterday I gave these EM 55 styles a try and have to say that some of them are really useful (Light Rock, almost all the Pop styles in general, Disco samba) while others frankly suck (Merengue, Mambo, even if I like latin music a lot).
Bevan, yes, these styles use VA instruments (Bill, many styles labelled for VA 7 use the G 1000 soundset and drum kits, instead).
The difference is substantial: while the G 1000 has some of the best styles Roland has ever made, the VA 7 has far superior sounds: the stereo acoustic piano and the V-drums, to name just two.
I have tried to tweak G 1000 styles changing the sound map, but the results are uneven: if you switch a piano rhytm track to the stereo piano of the VA 7, the piano itself will be way too prominent (even if you lower the volume) and you (the player) will be left aside. With the drums, on the other hand, the results are always astounding: even some old E 20 or E 70 styles acquire a new dimension.
Bill, thank you for your report on the Nashville music scene; I understand what you mean with "easygoing style of music". Actually in "Dock of the bay" I tried to add some punch to an otherwise quite ballad (hear the horns in the chorus or the choice of the snare drum). But you are right: music is for me a way to relax and that's way I love ballads or latin beats like the bossa nova or a gentle samba, full of joy or, at most, a delicate melancholy.
Anyway, if I find enough time (and that's a big IF) I will try to post something more punchy......hmmmm......let me see....."Gimme sove lovin" maybe?