AMBROSIA

"Ambrosia" is the eponymously titled debut full-length studio album by US, California based progressive rock/AOR rock act Ambrosia. The album was released through 20th Century Fox Records in February 1975. Ambrosia formed in 1970 and did some touring under the Ambergris Mite monicker before changing their name to Ambrosia.

Stylistically Ambrosia play an interesting combination of progressive rock and more mainstream oriented melodic rock. It´s generally a very melodic and quite catchy hybrid music form, performed by a very skilled cast of musicians. It´s one of the first things you notice when listening to the album. These guys are highly skilled musicians. All four members of Ambrosia would also perform as session musicians on the Alan Parsons Project debut full-length studio album, "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" (June 1976). Probably as a service for Parsons engineering this album.

The sound production values are top notch here. Powerful, organic, and clear sounding, and perfectly suiting the material. It´s a smooth and pleasant listen. The vocal style is both mellow but also louder and more expressive. When the later occurs I´m often reminded of a less hard rocking Kansas vocal style. The lead vocals are often complimented by harmony vocals and choirs. The early releases from artists like Toto, Styx, and Boston are also valid references, although Ambrosia are probably a tad more progressive oriented.

Upon conclusion "Ambrosia" is a difficult album to describe because it´s such an eclectic and creative listen. But fans of pop/rock oriented progressive rock should find a lot to appreciate here. Just don´t expect this to sound anything like the more pure progressive rock acts from the 70s (Yes, King Crimson, Genesis...etc.). A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.