SOMETIME ANYWHERE

Shortly after buying this CD, I learned there was a limited edition double CD release and sought it out. It was well worth the shopping. This release took me quite by surprise after I had owned nothing but "Priest=Aura" for nearly two years. The range and scope of the songs on this CD (and its brief bonus CD "Somewhere Else") is nothing short of astounding. There needs to be a "*" next to the title of this CD, as it was the only one that Peter Koppes (original member and one of two guitarists) didn't have a hand in. Thankfully, he returned on the next CD ("Magician Among the Spirits") to stay.

So this effort fell mostly on the shoulders of Steven Kilbey and Marty Wilsson-Piper with an array of guest musicians filling out the roster. And what a marvellous job Steve and Marty pulled off. The opening sequence on "Day of the Dead" is pure psychedelia and a number to turn way up loud. The Church rarely rock hard, but this song is one that begs to be blasted. The bass guitar propels this song, while Marty wails away like a madman on the effects pedals.

"Lost My Touch" features a sort of "sing-speak" that is laced with slang that is truly imaginative "...finito Benito, dead Fred....gone for a song like old Hong Kong, gone for a song." This lyric is embedded in a tapestery that shows the band's appreciation of Pink Floyd, and could stand out as a truly "prog" wunderkind.

"My Little Problem" is an interesting foray into the world of a shamed but self-dignified cross-dresser. Kilbey sings of his character's showcasing his procilivty to dress in women's clothes as something that sets him apart from society, yet gives him a kind of release that no one but another cross-dresser ("I heard the top guy won't answer his phone, maybe he's got a little problem of his own") can relate to. A lilting piano graces the jangling guitar lines of this emotional ballad.

"Lullaby" is an outsider's take on the birth of Christ as viewed by one of the three wise men, with a modern twist to the viewpoint. This clarifies that Kilbey is not above taking shots at traditional Christian viewpoints, but his notion seems to expand on them and not to tear them down.

"Fly Home" showcases the guitar work and lead vocal prowess of Marty Wilsson-Piper. This is a definite rock showcase with some classic rock hooks.

"Business Woman" and "Authority" seem to touch on parallel themes: those of women and their empowering in the business world, both showing an appreciation and even a fascination for what a woman "in power" can get for herself. I read somewhere that these songs were kept by Arista Records against the bands wishes over other track(s) - possibly on the bonnus CD - because they were too "accessible", but these songs do work. This meddling, I'm sure, is part of what caused the band to form their own Thirsty Ear Records after the release of "Sometime Anywhere".

Overall a superb effort, and I would even go so far as to say a "rock masterpiece" for the number of styles and themes this ambitious relase touches on.

4.5 stars.