JUGGLING 9 OR DROPPING 10

Sub-genre: Heavy Prog
For Fans of: Porcupine tree, the heavier side of some neo-prog.
Vocal Style: Male, upper mid-range AOR style.
Guitar Style: Chorused, mildly distorted to clean.
Keyboard Style: Varied synthesis. Piano and organ sounds.
Percussion Style: Standard rock kit.
Bass Style: Standard picked rock electric
Other Instruments: None.
You are not likely to enjoy this album if: you are sensitive to "radio" sounds and vocal passages, as I am.

Summary: The first time I listened to this album I was sitting with a friend who said within the first 5 seconds, "Man, this version of Xanadu is way off." Well, it was not a cover of the Rush classic we were listening to, it was the album's opener Paint the Picture. It was amongst the scarce moments of a discernible progressive rock feel. All around this album is the pang of a commercial delivery. The often Glen Frey-ish AOR sounding vocal passages, generic arrangements and dynamically flat mix all paint a mundane, uninteresting picture. Juggling 9 or dropping 10 is progressives analog to convenience store sushi. Here and there are breaks and bridges that hint of a non-commercial complexity, but the sappy pseudo-feeling comes triumphantly riding back in on the next verse or chorus. And it just keeps coming. At 64 minutes the album seems as if it will never end. This is the way of 21st century recording. At least an album like this in the 70's and 80's would round itself off at 45 minutes top. The most complimentary I can be about this release from Enchant is that the musicianship is proficient and the delivery is safe. It's the kind of music you can play in a grocery store to prevent rioting in the aisles.

Final Score: I get this icky "I'm listening to something with a strictly commercial target" feeling all over when I listen to this. There is enough quality musicianship here that it will find fans, as well as avoid relegation to 1 star. This type of album, out of sync and off key would really make it a crime against nature. It was barely saved from the trash heap. I just find myself bored to no end? well, 64 minutes to the end anyway. 2 stars.