THE SUM OF NO EVIL

Musically, this is extremely impressive prog....the compositions are imaginative, filled with great melodies and riffs, and there are plenty of the dynamic shifts that we prog fans like...the musicianship is top-notch as well, especially the fantastic guitar solos. The Flower Kings are clearly influenced by Yes, but they are not a clone band like Starcastle. I can easily recommend this album to fans of Yes and Rush and Marillion....BUT they do have one major weakness, or two rather...the vocals and the lyrics...I hate to say it but the lyrics are pretty mediocre and banal, and the singing is not of the same caliber as the compositions and the playing.

I find myself absolutely loving the instrumental sections and almost cringing when the singing begins. This has been a problem for me with a fair number of prog bands. Apparently, it is extremely difficult to find a singer who can sing prog as well as he musicians can play it.

When I listen to this album, it makes me realize just how rare and great are singers like Peter Gabriel, Jon Anderson, Peter Hammill, Greg Lake, John Wetton, Fish and Ian Anderson. If the Flower Kings had a singer like those, this would easily be a 5-star album, and they would take their place among the greats...but without a great singer/lyricist I can't give this more than 4 solid stars.

I wish I were God and could give these music tracks to Jon Anderson and have him sing over them. I think we might end up with something as good as Going For The One.