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A few really great albums have already seen the light of day this year, but this one surpasses them all and sets the target the rest has to aim for... If you look at the musicians involved it really doesn't come as a big surprise; Mike Portnoy (Drums, ex-Dream Theater, Transatlantic), Steve Morse (Guitars, Deep Purple, Dixie Dregs), Dave LaRue (Bass, Dixie Dregs), Neal Morse (Keyboards, ex-Spock's Beard, Transatlantic, solo) and Casey McPherson (Vocals, Alpha Rev). These titans have been brought together by Bill Evans, who had an idea to bring world renowned musicians and producer Peter Collins together. A shortlist was made and all four musicians bought into the idea, all they needed was a vocalist. The idea was to bring in a pop singer and the choice fell on Casey. The label progressive rock is nowhere fitting for the music; this is a fusion of outstanding craftsmanship, virtuosity and contemporary music. The melting pot has elements from folk, rock, pop and metal and mixed together it makes out a perfect symbiosis. I must have listened to the song "Kayla" at least fifty times the past month, and I keep going back to it, simply because this is how a hit song should be cut. But each song has so much to offer and I discover new things each time the album spins, and my favorite song changes all the time, it depends on the mood I am in... I loved the album straight out of the box, and now more than 25 spins later I love it even more, this is without a doubt one of the best albums I've listened to the past five years! An almost perfect mixture of elements I find important in an album; diversity, musicianship, outstanding vocals, crystal clear production and challenging music. "Flying Colors" sounds fresh and unspoiled; it took them nine days to compose and record, so the jam-session factor is also a big factor to the equation. But don't worry - this album never takes off and turns into a meaningless jam without purpose... no everything has been done in the interest of the song! A timeless piece of music and already a very strong contender for Album of the Year, at least in my world! Brilliant! | ||||||||||||||||||
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