I WANT YOU TO GET BACK HOME

Fans of Mirek Gil's dramatic electric guitar solos might be surprised by this album of lite jazz- rock songs more in the vein of some of Paul Weller's STYLE COUNCIL albums. I know I was/am! But, I LOVE IT!

Piano-based, cello throughout, great vocals, and lots of catchy melodies and beautiful harmonies. And Mirek Gil playing acoustic guitars. Only. No screaming, wailing solos.

And no drums!

At times the vocalist, Karol Wróblewski, has some striking similarities to TIM BOWNESS-- stylistically. The big distinguishing difference lies in the intricate and unusual harmonies floating and popping in all around the headphone listener. As a matter of fact, it's the harmonies that keeps me coming back for more, they're so different and . . . unexpected.

A low key, mellow album that is less prog than experimental--for Mirek. Harkening back to bands like AMERICA, CROSBY, STILLS & NASH, the soulful side of LENNY KRAVITZ, TOM POWERS, early ELTON JOHN ad BILLY JOEL. Recommended most for the unique vocal harmony stylings. Also, if you like acoustic music, vocal dominated, with piano, cello and acoustic guitars doing all the instrumental support, this is a beautiful, soulful album for you. Bravo, Mirek! You have guts! I wish you all the glory and success that you deserve. (You, too, Karol! Great job!)

I'd give this five stars but as it is not really a progressive rock album, it is not really fitting. Still, highly recommended. Beautiful music!

Favorites: "Fix My Arms," and each of the first four songs, "Time," "Our Shoes," "In Your Heart," and "Find Me" are all sublime.

MR. GIL is one of the creative vehicles for Polish composer and guitarist Mirek Gil. Initially set up in 1998, this band-project was revived as a recording venture in 2010 following a decade or so of silence. "I Want You to Get Back Home" is their fourth production, and was released by Metal Mind in the spring of 2012.

Mr. Gil's latest album "I Want You to Get Back Home" isn't one that will appeal to dedicated fans of progressive rock, as it is a production rather far removed form this stylistic universe. But if gentle melancholic ballads are dear to you, and you tend to enjoy a blend of high quality lead vocals and melancholic cello supplemented by careful acoustic guitar and piano then this effort is one you should check out. It is a fine example of this type of music, and should have a broad appeal, in particular amongst a mainstream oriented audience.

Soothing

Mr. Gil is essentially a vehicle for the solo output of Believe (and ex-Collage) guitarist Mirek Gil. Gil has been releasing albums under the Mr. Gil name since 1998, with three of the four to date appearing in the last 3 years. Gil is not someone who insists on doing everything by himself, but brings in suitable musicians for each album according to the style and mood he intends to capture. That said, the line up here is unchanged from the previous album "Light an sound".

"I want you to get back home" is a soft, melodic set of songs linked by a common theme of a homecoming, and the challenges which come along with the joy of such an event. To convey the required atmosphere on this occasion, Gil calls upon gifted vocalist Karol Wróblewski (Believe), keyboards player Konrad Wantrych (Believe) and Cellist Paulina Druch. Wantrych's duties are largely confined to piano, with even Gil's fine lead guitar playing being relatively rare. Also notable is the absence of a rhythm section (bass or drums) although drums do make a fleeting appearance on the final song "Come home". Indeed it is mainly Wróblewski who is allowed to shine here, his delicate vocals (his vocals here, and indeed the mood of the album, reminds me of Mick Stubbs work with the fine band Home) being exactly what is demanded by the nine songs on the album.

Rarely does the music become intrusive, this an album to be savoured in a dimly lit room when the opportunity arises to let time go lightly. The combination of cello and piano which prevails throughout is soothing rather than challenging, allowing the mind to wander while absorbing the mood.

Fans of Believe and indeed Collage will already be aware of the emphasis placed by those bands on melody and musicianship. They should not however expect references to the fine neo-prog in which those bands specialise. This project is about as far removed musically from that genre as it is possible to be. What prevails throughout though is Gil's passion for his music, and his ongoing ability to create genuinely captivating albums.

Every Mr Gil album has been dramatically unlike the one preceding it, and "I Want to get You Back Home" maintains that level of consistency in flux. While his other recordings traced lineage to the top notch neo prog from whence he came, this one is a uniformly soft rock venture, an eclectic synthesis of romantic music from the crooners to the big hair bands, waving at 1970s sensitive singer songwriters along the way, and beyond.

The instrumentation is rarefied, mostly piano and cello, with Karol Wróblewski's vocals that continue to improve with each release, and which play a more important role than ever on this song oriented offering. Gil is obviously a fan of a wide variety of music and prefers to indulge all of it in his increasingly noteworthy career, and here his guitars take a back seat to the others as he focuses on songwriting and meticulous arranging. I have a few favourites - "Time", "Find Me", and "Good Night", but yours are just as likely to be different.

While lovely in its own right, it's not an album to inspire awe whether you are a progressive purist or not, but an album to appreciate during quiet times at home. Don't bother syncing it to your ipod or bringing it into the car. This is a homebody.

While Poland's Mr. Gil would perhaps generally be regarded as neo-prog, their latest release, I Want You to Get Back Home breaks from the standard and presents a collection of quasi singer songwriter tunes that are extremely laid back and majestically orchestrated. Don't be expecting 'dude with a guitar' type music here, although this does remind me a bit of the 'indie' thing. That out of the way, and the fact that I usually hate this type of music, I was thoroughly impressed with Mr. Gil's arrangements. While the songs are generally more 'indie' and less prog, I honestly cannot complain about the production of the album, the performances, or the orchestrating, all of which are magnificent and fit the music perfectly. Mr. Gil delivers heartfelt and emotional vocals backed by an assortment of piano and strings which provide lush atmosphere and texture as a background for well delivered vocals. For the most part, the songs are pretty somber, which I'm a fan of; however, my only complaint is that they don't seem to present enough variety for me. At the same time, I suspect that people who are fans of this genre would probably disagree with me on this point. In the end, this kind of music isn't really of album that I could sit straight through, devoting 100% attention from start to finish, it's perfect for a randomized playlist and would give good variety to any collection. Although it's not an 'essential' prog album, fans of the genre will probably absolutely love this one.