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Finally, at long last!
Maybe I’m dreaming, or it’s
a Christmas miracle, but for the first time ever I have in my hands a Fossil records
release for review that actually boasts a very decent print job and design! Kudos
to those guys for finally getting their act together on that front.
 Now
that I’ve gotten that out of my system, we can focus on the music at hand,
performed, written and produced by none other than Jeffrey Ryan Smoots. It’s really
too bad this guy is not better known in the prog rock circle, because he is a damn
fine player, writer and producer. Maybe it doesn’t help his cause too much among
progheads that his albums aren’t built around 30 minute epics featuring every prog
cliché in the book. Maybe it’s the fact that he does not feature mellotrons, milk
odd time signatures and Journey chord progressions behind a veil of “jamming”.
Perhaps his lack of renown could be also partly due to the fact that he certainly
does not sing like a fairy about fairies. Hell, in this album JRS doesn’t even sing
at all, simply letting his guitar do all the talking for him. Who knows why this
album hasn’t received greater recognition? As far as I’m concerned, that’s a very
sad thing, because this is a great album. A collection of twelve 4.00 to 5.00
minute tracks that are concise, chock-full of hooks and melody. And best of all,
they ROCK.
I should also add that, in
spite of the featured sequenced drums, this is a very solid piece of work, and a
commendable job at the sequencer, almost equal to the tour de force by Goocher,
reviewed elsewhere here at prog4you.
I hope a lot of people who
read this give the music a chance. It should be of special interest to guitar
enthusiasts, and those who like beefy prog, with strong hard rock influences. You’ll
get a sample of every style, from metal to heavy southern rock, but always featuring
excellent, memorable solos and playing without the usual guitar hero masturbatory
excess.
Here’s hoping that this
album gets the attention it deserves! Kudos to JRS for a damn fine collection of 1’s
and 0’s that make my speakers go “Hmmm….”
Rating: 9 Stars
Reviewed By: Luis Nasser
: : Visit the artist website : :
http://www.jrsmoots.com/
:: DISCOGRAPHY ::
Loss For Words -
2003
Despair
To Peace - 2001
Spank Your Inner Child - 2000
Wings of
Gold - 1998 |
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