BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS

3,5 stars, really. Very fine neo prog band from France. Well, a mix of neo and symphonic in fact. A friend of mine got the CD and told me he didn´t like it. He said it sounded a bit like Eloy (I´m still wondering what he meant with that remark and if he was talking about this CD till this day...). Since my friend is a big fan of neo I didn´t approach this album with great expectations. However, I was surprised of how very pleasant and well done it is, although not without some problems.

The main drawback was the production. It is obvious that this kind of music needs a good and balanced recording and although it was not really crap, the production could be a LOT better. You can tell the band is good, the songwriting is strong (although there is nothing new in the field), the arrangements are tasteful and the playing is superb. Only Jean Michel Paci´s vocals are a bit annoying. The guy is not bad, but certainly the sound would benefit a lot if they had a truly strong singer. But again I´m not sure if the guy is just inexperienced and/or the production hides his potential.

If pass those problems, like I did, I found Boulevard Of Broken Dreams to be a very good CD. There are no fillers and the second half of the album is where lies the strongest cuts, powerful and convincing with some great guitar solos and fine keyboards passages. Only the flat production keeps me from giving this CD a four star rating. Still, if you´re into neo prog you should not miss this one. Recommended