Bodin, Tomas: I Am

Two years in the making, I Am is Flower Kings keyboardist Tomas Bodin's first ever solo album that actually features three different vocalists, an intelligently written concept and top-notch musicianship. Bodin's previous albums were instrumental recordings mostly focusing on his keyboard and piano expertise, reflecting his progressive roots and compositional skills. I Am takes Bodin's talents to greater heights. It is the first album of a trilogy that takes its story directly from Bodin's own life with themes of religion and reincarnation. The second and third parts of this trilogy will be titled You Are and He She Is respectively.

The fact that Bodin's wife, Pernilla Bodin, is one of the three vocalists who lend their voices to this recording perhaps makes I Am even more intimate for Tomas. The other singers are Anders Jansson and Helene Schoning. Bodin's Flower Kings bandmates Jonas Reingold on bass and new drummer Marcus Liliequist, on the other, form the album's solid rhythm section. Liliequist's style isn't as busy as Zoltan Csorsz', but equally impressive. I particularly enjoy his awesome cymbal work that often lends itself to jazz rock territory. Reingold on bass is as amazing as always. The bass is very upfront on this album, almost like a lead instrument alongside Bodin's keyboards. On guitars there is Jocke JJ Marsh from Glenn Hughes. Marsh's guitar work is very subtle in places, but extremely competent and one of the main factors why I Am is quite possiby Bodin's best solo effort to date. Besides playing excellent pristine prog guitar harmonies, he also lays down well-crafted blues solos that add an extra dimension to the songs.

Vocalist Anders Jansson does most of the singing on this album, with occasional leads sung by Pernilla Bodin and Helene Schonning, whose angelic singing styles bring a welcome depth to this little progressive 'musical'. Having never heard Jansson before, I was awestruck by the richness of his voice, his heartfelt singing and translating the lyrics into pure emotion effectively. Since I Am consists of only three tracks that are divided into several chapters each of which are comprised of different movements, Jansson's emotive voice conveys a wide array of emotions going from vintage 70's prog rock style singing to more upbeat sing-along type of vocals. However, the vocal delivery on the last suite titled "M" is his most heart-wrenching one. Jansson almost cries the lyrics out in such an emotional way I get goosebumps every time. This song also contains some processed, almost extreme kind of vocals soaring passionately over Bodin's sweeping piano melody. It has a very musical feel to it, often reminding me of Pink Floyd, even though both bands' song structures are quite different.

Tomas Bodin has proven to be an exceptional producer and lyricst as well. "The Prayer" passage in "A" is particularly amazing when Jansson whispers the lyrics to God over sparse piano keys. The lyrical content here is akin to that of Neal Morse's One album. Oddly, Pain of Salvation's BE also comes to mind when the whole concept of I Am is taken into consideration, not to include Bodin's obvious influences. The opening track, besides visiting Bodin's ELP and Yes roots, also has a subtle Flower Kings circa Unfold the Future period touch, only with more emphasis put on keys than guitars. Bombastic keyboards abound the entire album never even for a second dominating the other instruments. Bodin is unafraid to implement complex passages and merge them with visceral guitars and musicality. Essential release for any prog rock fan.

Track Listing

1. I (23:12)
   i. The Beginning
   ii. Wheel Spinner
   iii. Day by Day
   iv. Mother's Heart
   v. Speeder
   vi. They'll Fight for Me!
   vii. Fighters
   viii. War is Over
   ix. Aftermath
   x. The Angel of Dreams
   xi. The Awakening

2. A (21:28)
   i. Take Me Home
   ii. The Tree of Knowledge
   iii. The Path of Decision I
   iv. The Prayer
   v. The Path of Decision II
   vi. Close the Deal
   vii. The Path of Decision III
   viii. The Tube of Reverse

3. M (18:43)
   i. In the Land of Retrospect
   ii. Voice Macabre
   iii. Dance Macabre
   iv. The Halls of Future
   v. The Path of Light I
   vi. The Path of Light II

Added: July 6th 2005
Reviewer: Murat Batmaz
Score:
Related Link: Tomas Bodin
Hits: 8967
Language: english

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