CHUPACABRAS

This is an album sampler: diverse musical styles and sounds collected together around the excellent epic title song. In my opinion, it is this title song that is the only thing making this album worth owning or listening to. "Party" (7/10) and "Return of the Ruffian" (7/10) are okay. Some of it sounds like stuff that might have made Top 40 in the 80s.

"Chupacabras" (20:42) actually sounds to me like a Broadway soundtrack--with opening overture, bouncy 'opening' song with vocals, emotional second 'travel' or 'montage' instrumental song (all with a particular guitar riff [lifted from a classic rock song from the 70s or 80s--one that I can't put my finger on . . . maybe AL STEWART] stringing them together). The fourth part slows it down to introduce the female voice (narrating?). Part five is a brief percussion-with-piano-arpeggio interlude, followed immediately by the protagonist singing again (about his impending Phoenix-like rise) but then becomes a duet with the female (narrator?). Nice female vocal harmonies. He is Adonis; he is "Beauty." At 10:45 Part eight has PINK FLOYD Animals effects before turning to some country/Lousiana blues guitar and dobro sounds to carry the story further. This evolves with some synth strings and Celtic flutes and pipes into something . . . unusual. At 16:08 some crashing drums and guitars announce a shift--like a revitalization or rebirth. A mellotron and heavier guitar part ensues, finally opening into a brief announcement by the effected female voice, then bouncy piano preparing us for the reentry of the protagonist. The problem here is that the new guy, "Freedom," sounds less free, less confident, and less powerful than his previous incarnation, "Beauty."! (8/10)

Overall this is an okay album with a pretty good epic. 3 stars.