LIFE SEEKER

Life Seeker is the eighth release by German keyboard virtuoso Alfred Mueller since the year 2000, and according to the liner notes it's an album inspired by personal experiences.

As with his previous albums the main weakness of this release is that keyboards and synthesizers are the only instruments used, where other instruments are emulated. This makes it more challenging to create memorable songs and melodies; as the compositions have to be very good to overcome that weakness. On this release Mueller succeeds very well in that, most tunes here are highly intriguing and well made. Although influences from bands like ELP are still very much present in several tunes, Mueller has also managed to create a distinct individual sound now; further enhancing the listening experience.

Fans of symphonic rock should check out this release; in particular if the sound of emulated instruments doesn't trouble you.

This 2008 release was Alfred's eighth album, and as with the vast majority of his releases he was the only person involved in it's making. I presume that means that he provided the vocals on the opening title cut as well, and I really wish that he hadn't, as for me it really detracts from what follows. While Alfred is a great keyboard player, composer and arranger: he isn't a singer, and I just couldn't see the point. But, moving away from that, this is yet again a very solid album and again I found myself wishing that Alfred would get a proper band around him so that we could hear these compositions with the correct instruments instead of synthesized versions. Having played a great many of his albums recently, his unique style has definitely become more apparent to me. Although there are obvious elements of Jean Michel Jarre, Emerson and (to a lesser extent) Wakeman, he has a certain turn of phasing and style that is very much his own. The songs are solid, and don't fall into meandering meaningless entities that some solo artists are guilty of.

Yet again this is a very solid album from Alfred Mueller, www.soniqtheater.de