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<\/center>Steve Hackett \u2013 <\/strong>Genesis Revisited II\n<\/strong><\/em>Hackett <\/a>was a prime mover of Genesis<\/strong>‘ early sound, in the days before they went pop. His progressive stylings added a lot of color to their music. And his post-Genesis solo material (especially 1980’s Defector<\/em>) showed him expanding his horizons beyond his old group’s already expansive sonic palette. But he’s returned to the well twice, in 1996 and again with this second volume. He enlists a who’s who of famous guests (Steven Wilson<\/strong><\/a>, Neal Morse<\/strong><\/a>, John Wetton<\/strong><\/a>, Mikael <\/strong>\u00c5<\/strong>kerfeldt<\/strong><\/a>) and expands the self-covering exercise to include some of his solo material. \u201cDancing with the Moonlit Night\u201d \u2013 one of Genesis’ best songs \u2013 is close to the original, right down to It Bites<\/strong> singer Francis Dunnery<\/strong>‘s Peter Gabriel<\/strong> vocal impression, but where it differs (more medieval, somehow) it’s wholly fascinating. Redundant by its nature, it nonetheless remains \u2013 thanks to Hackett’s playing and musical choices \u2013 enjoyable and worthwhile.<\/p>\n
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<\/center> <\/p>\nMike Keneally \u2013 <\/strong>You Must Be This Tall The Poster Boy \u2013 <\/strong>Bonjour, c’est Pop Deux The Flower Kings \u2013 <\/strong>Desolation Rose Boston \u2013 <\/strong>Life, Love & Hope
\n<\/strong><\/em>I first discovered Guitarist\/multi-instrumentalist Keneally through his involvement with Frank Zappa<\/strong><\/a>‘s late 80s and early 90s releases. That musical kinship (I hesitate to cal lit influence, as Keneally’s his own man) is clearly evident on this album’s opening title track. \u201cYou Must Be this Tall\u201d sounds like Jazz From Hell<\/em> era Zappa with the addition of some actual (if wacko) guitar. The triumphant horn (or \u201chorn\u201d) arrangement that opens \u201cCavanaugh\u201d sounds a bit like Zappa’s \u201cEasy Meat,\u201d but the smooth, tuneful vocals add a more pop sensibility. Well, they would, if they weren’t applied to such knotty melodic lines as these. \u201cCornbread Crumb\u201d sounds like 70s funk\/jazz filtered through a prog worldview. The slower and midtempo cuts work better than the more manic ones (like \u201cKidzapunk\u201d). Other musicians \u2013 most notably, drummer extraordinaire Marco Minnemann<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 help out, but mostly this is Keneally’s show.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/poster_boy_bonjour.jpg\")
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\n<\/strong><\/em>On their debut album, 2012’s aptly-titled Melody<\/em><\/a>, this Budapest-based group crafted one of the best albums of the year, with a sound that recalled World Party<\/strong><\/a>, Crowded House<\/strong><\/a> and The La<\/strong>‘s. In other words, ear candy of the highest order. On their second outing, they’re aiming for a bigger sound, a bit heavier and more ambitious. \u201c12:01\u201d draws influence from equal parts Ben Folds Five<\/strong> and Wings<\/strong> (specifically \u201cNineteen Hundred and Eighty-five\u201d), while still sounding fresh, new and thrilling. They want you to dance \u2013 or at least nod your head in time \u2013 on cuts like \u201cSpectre.\u201d The ballad \u201cAnother Person\u201d has an oddly overdriven vibe. This album might take a tad longer to reveal itself than did the debut, but its overall quality suggests that \u2013 with a soup\u00e7on of luck \u2013 The Poster Boy could break out internationally in a very big way.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/flower_kings.jpg\")
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\n<\/strong><\/em>Modern-day fans of modern progressive rock tend to like The Flower Kings, and with good reason; their sound is both backward- and forward-looking at once. Traditional prog fans will like that they sound a bit like Genesis<\/strong> (see above), especially in their ambitious arrangements. Those more inclined toward harder-rocking sounds will note that their sound compares favorably to Spock’s Beard<\/strong><\/a>. A strong emphasis on melody and grand, sweeping musical melodrama means that this deliberately-paced album provides enjoyment both in the moment (as in, the songs themselves) and in the big picture (as in, the album as a whole and on repeated spins). Accessible, heartfelt vocals from Roine Stolt<\/strong> sound more British than Swedish, and when it comes to prog, sounding like you\u2019re from the UK is almost always a good thing. Memorable melodies and muscular playing abound, all delivered with subtlety. Bonus points for huge dollops of Mellotron layered throughout.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/boston_life.jpg\")
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\n<\/strong><\/em>It’s too easy \u2013 shooting fish in the proverbial barrel \u2013 to make light of Tom Scholz<\/strong>‘ interminable tinkering between album releases. So instead let’s move directly to the music on this, Boston’s sixth album since 1976. First off, it sounds exactly like you’d expect: the chorused\/overdubbed signature guitar sound Scholz perfected in the 70s is right here like (one supposes) it ought to be. And though Brad Delp<\/strong> is no longer alive, his vocals are all over several tracks on this album. The opener \u201cHeaven On Earth\u201d sounds like it could have been a middling track on the first record, or a strong one on the third. However, Scholz’ enlisting of a female lead vocalist on some tracks results in a curiosity: musically it’s vintage Boston; vocally it’s something else entirely. Equally as troubling is his recycling of a composition from the band’s fifth (2002) album, Corporate America<\/em>.<\/p>\n
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