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Sun Palace: Give Me A Perfect World

You could be mistaken for thinking that the assembled cast of players that appear on this record were gathered together for some tsunami aid appeal however, be assured that while the credentials of the players is not in doubt, the results of this recently recorded album left me feeling some lost opportunities were apparent throughout much of the music presented here. Sun Palace consists of Andriette Redmann on keyboards and vocals with John Rokosny and Tony Geballe supporting on guitars with Jerry Marotta providing the percussives and Jane Scarpantoni adding some nicely textured cello. Sure, the players supporting this project have a pretty impressive lineage and include time served with no lesser luminaries than, Robert Fripp, Smithereens, Peter Gabriel, Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Bruce Springstein, REM, 10,000 Maniacs and others. In all honesty though, the songs presented here really don't make that much of an impression so one might doubt whether including one's recent work history on some promotional material was a good idea in the first place. It really begs the question, "O.K. if you have spent so much time with these other really gifted musicians, then why does this not translate into something a little more compelling?" When it all boils down to the important ingredients, regrettably the 11 songs amble along with far too many sounding like the one preceding it.

I am all for musicians being encouraged to develop their own style and be as creative as possible; however, I find it really disappointing when the best song offered up for your aural delectation is an old Led Zeppelin classic, done pretty well mind you, then you have to ask what has happened to all those creative juices that are so essential in writing a worthwhile suite of songs.

Vocally, Andriette sounds perfectly fine and has a soft, mellow style of delivery that is similar but not as compelling or powerful as Sarah McLaughlin or even Enya although with a far less Celtic flair or pleasing overall sound. Similarities to Mermaid Kiss would also be a realistic inclusion. Instrumentally, I can find no fault with the music either but am simply amazed at the overall lack of any really memorable songs, despite my obligatory, self imposed minimum 6 spins before committing my thoughts to paper.

If you prefer your music very soft, with little variety in the songs themselves, this may be up your cul-de-sac but for anyone into more progressive themes and ideas, this will probably disappoint within a few days time. Nice try guys but let's sharpen up the song writing before committing so much time and energy to your next project.

Track Details:

1. Give Me A Perfect World (3.25)
2. Round & Round (4.06)
3. There's A Man (3.07)
4. Going To California (3.21) 5. Love Saves (4.14)
6. Familiar Voices (4.03)
7. Palace Welcome (3.32)
8. Man Of The Severn Wave (4.14)
9. The Corridor (4.21)
10. Show Me Your Wild Side (3.29)
11. Under The Moon (2.48)

Added: March 2nd 2005
Reviewer: Greg Cummins
Score:
Related Link: Bands Web Page
Hits: 2258
Language: english

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