DUST AND DREAMS

This is a fantastic artistic interpretation of John Steinbeck`s "The Grapes Of Wrath", and it thoroughly explores the theme of The Joads` journey into the false eden called California. It starts with the prying wind theme "The Dust Bowl" that turns into a vocal manifesto of the family`s unrelenting hope "Go West". Then we have a short symphonic masterpiece "Dusted Out" whose dramatic performance shows the drama of the Okies being kicked out of their homes. "Mother Road" brings another important message namely that you and the road you are traveling along are the one thing. The next instrumental piece is "Needles", the city on the Joads` way to the milk`n`honey land, a quite nice transition to a beautiful and heartfelt song "Rose Of Sharon" that is even more sentimental in pitch than the book itself. The last vocal number is called "End Of The Line" which touches the problem of loneliness and helplessness among the trackers whose desperation increases steadily to the point of unutterable anger masterly expressed by the one of the final tracks "Hopeless Anger" in which Latimer`s guitar solo tears your heart apart. And at last the Joads are free to decide which way to go and what they left behind belongs to the past now, and the heavy rain drops bring relief and hope for a change. "Dust & Dreams" is the best concept work of Andy Latimer except "The Snow Goose" and "The Harbour Of Tears".