WHOSE DREAM?

Cosisting of Joey Lugassy (vocals), Colin Tench (guitars, synths, backing vocals), Gary Derrick (bass, bass pedals), Cliff Deighton (drums) and Alex Foulcer (piano), Bun Chakeze show a lot of skill and strength with this particular album, Whose Dream.

It's safe to say that this is definitely a progressive band, and a virtuosic one at that. Bun Chakeze have the ability to write biting, fast, aggressive pieces of music (see the track "Bun Chakeze [Instrumental]") and quickly shift into serene and highly melodic phases (see "Whose Dream"). A note is never wasted with guitarist and backing vocalist Colin Tench, who is always on top of his game, filling in spaces with his rich guitar sounds, somewhat reminiscent of David Gilmour in Pink Floyd's heyday. Not mentioning vocalist Joey Lugassy would be in bad taste, as he has a very dreamy, ethereal voice that blends in well with the rest of the band, especially on their softer pieces. His vocals can also become a bit aggressive, which fits in extremely well when this is utilized to mesh with the music. Gary Derrick and Cliff Deighton add a very solid rhythm section on bass guitar and drums, respectively. Alex Foulcer (piano) adds a nice atmosphere to the tracks he's featured on with his tasteful and tight piano playing.

Though the instrumentation is definitely the band's highest focus and they seem to be very successful at such, one aspect that the band may want to improve on is lyrics. But that is such a minor issue that it doesn't put a significant damper on the band's overall sound and execution at all.

Regarding influences, it's somewhat hard to say who Bun Chakeze's are. A significant amount of Pink Floyd perhaps, maybe some Rush, and a helping of 80's pop a la Kansas is probably the best way to describe the sound, though that still doesn't serve them justice. Regarding their at-times intense instrumentation, Yes has probably been an influence more-or-less. I also hear a bit of Peter Hammill, and to a lesser extent Van der Graaf Generator. Neo-prog, and perhaps Symph Prog is what most will probably classify this as.

But the real fact here is that Bun Chakeze have made an original sound of their own, and a quite eclectic and enjoyable album with 'Whose Dream.' The album gets better with each listen and is a grower rather than being super-accessible on the first few listens.

Very good job with this one Colin and Co.; I really enjoyed it! Keep making good music for music's sake!

Highlights: "Bun Chakeze," "Whose Dream," "Flight of the Phoenix" and the dark, atmospheric "The Deal."

--Jordan

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