Prog4you.com - Progressive Rock Review - Charles Brown

: : REVIEW : :

One of the things I like about releases on the Fossil Label, is that you really do get an opportunity to hear artists and music that should be heard but just seems to be lost in all the “acceptable” crap played on the radio, or too beneath the ProgSnobs (they know who they are) of the world to acknowledge as good. This CD is an example of just that. Nothing overtly new or ground breaking, but simply a display of top-notch talent and quality chops.

So what we have here is yet another of those “one man band” guitar slinger, no drummer projects.

Not that inviting on the surface, but once the music starts you find yourself tapping your foot or letting your mind follow the music from the very first note.

The opening of this CD reminds me of a Narada release with the sound of a bubbling creek, a ‘keyboard’ trumpet interlude, all the things that immediately force the listener to pick up the CD case and remind them of just WHAT label released this CD.

Just as the ‘trumpet’ stops the programmed (yuk!) double kick bass fires up and Mr. Brown starts wailing away that makes you once again sit up and take notice. I’ve got to add once again, is it really that hard to find a quality session drummer? To these ears, the only negative to an otherwise fulfilling CD, is that lack of a powerful drummer.

Now to Mr. Brown’s credit, he is not attempting to be a metal band or some sort of metal guitar God giving us the all too common musical masturbation, and the “too many notes” stuff.

He writes songs with effective hooks, pleasant riffs, and in the songs like Flight of the Eagle, where he simply concentrates on the guitar, his smooth style and musical grace come through loud and clear.

The transition from Flight of the Eagle to the following song, Take No Prisoners, is the type of thing that keeps this CD active in the listener’s mind as it plays. Where FotE was slow, melodic, and pensive, TNP, by its title alone, says CRANK IT UP. Not bad at all, even though it is too short.

He also adds a tiny snippet from a Bach piece, Cantata #67, which only serves to make me like the overall CD even more.

There is some serious rock pieces on this CD including Nuclear Burn, the afore mentioned, Take No Prisoners, Into the Storm and the slowly building title song, Earth Voyage. Plus this CD balances the rock vibe with an almost classic prog feel of acoustic pieces with flute (synths of course) leading into ever building songs that culminate in a musical eruption of volcanic proportions.

The last song, an acoustic piece, Tears of the Lost Angel, is the perfect counter point to the driving and powerful opening song, Into the Storm.

Are there any down sides to this CD? First the sound quality is not up to what I am accustomed to on a Fossil Record releases, but this is a minor point. In fact, the parts where there are no programmed drums are excellent. It just seems the programmed drum sound is coming from deep in a tunnel so that the sound is muffled. Ah, but is that not the problem with programmed drums anyway?

So, what we have here is a strong guitarist with great musical ideas that are fleshed out very well. But without a full time rhythm section (real bass player and real drummer) the sound, specifically on the more ‘rock’ tunes seems to be missing something. Definitely not a CD to avoid, certainly if you like all instrumental CD’s with a top notch axe slinger at the center of the musical soundscape.

Rating: 6.5 of 10
Reviewed By: Stephen Ellis

Visit the artist website: Charles Brown
Email: fossil@empowering.com

Record Label: http://www.fossilrecords.net/

: : DISCOGRAPHY : :
Mystics - 1999
Earth Voyage - 2001

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