DESERT BUTTERFLIES

Listening to this a couple of times on progstreaming.com I am so impressed with the musicianship, quality of sound recording (layers of guitars rarely sound this good!), and quirky eclecticism of musical themes and influences. I like this even better than all Orphaned Land albums except Mabool. Why this doesn't earn five stars is for the fact that most riffs, themes and song structures feel "old"--i.e. like rehashings of music that's already been done. Don't get me wrong, this is a great listen, a great exhibition of a gifted guitarist's talents; it's just that some of the music feels like stuff I've already heard from older guitar heroes like Jeff Beck, Al DiMeola, or Corrado Rustici.

Favorite songs: "CoCoon," "Fata Morgana," "Neo Quest" and the title song.

Israeli composer and musician Yossi SASSI is probably best known for being a founding member of the Israeli progressive metal band Orphaned Land, but he's also a veteran contributor in the Israeli music circuit as a musician, composer and producer in his own right. In 2012 he started a solo career with the launch of the album "Melting Clocks". "Desert Butterflies" is his second solo production, and was released in 2014.

With "Desert Butterflies" Yossi Sassi has created an intriguing album of music, where the focus appears to be to incorporate Israeli and Middle East folk music details with contemporary instrumental rock, with a few select excursions into more purebred folk-oriented compositions as a nice additional treat. Those who tend to get intrigued by what many people from a western cultural background would describe as exotic world music sounds paired off with contemporary instrumental rock are well advised to give this CD a spin.

Multi-instrumentalist Yossi Sassi will probably always be remembered for co-founding the mighty Orphaned Land, but he left them in 2014 to concentrate on 'creative, innovative, authentic music that unites people". This is his second solo album, as he released 'Melting Clocks' while still in Orphaned Land, while this one came out not long after he left the band. Here Sassi contributes vocals, guitars (electric, nylon-string, acoustic, 7-strings), bouzouki, charrango, oud, saz, Chumbush, and keyboards. He also bring in a very diverse group of people to help him with the album, including the likes of Marty Friedman (Megadeth) and Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal (Guns 'n' Roses) who provide some solos.

There are a couple of actual songs on the album, with the rest being instrumentals, but what makes this such a delight is the way he mixes so many different musical styles and worlds together in a way which complement each other. Influences from the Middle East and Israel sit happily hand in hand with most Western rock, and blends together so it is hard to see the join. This is exactly the sort of album I would expect from him, even before listening to it, given what I have heard of Orphaned Land, but here is taking the music even further than it has before. This means that the listener is never sure what style or instrumentation is coming next, whether it be a standard blues based repeated pattern or something far more exotic. It is exciting, invigorating, and full of interest and depth.

Some years ago Yossi Sassi sent me a message through PA asking to review this album. As you can see I'm very lazy, but sometimes you need to find the right moment for the right approach on an album. This hot and dry summer is perfect for his "Desert Butterflies" and now I regret to haven't actually paid the right attention to the album.

It's mainly instrumental, but features also on the track "Believe" the Italian vocalist Mariangela Demurtas who is also singer for the Norwegian band Tristania and for the Italian gothic Ardours, other than releasing on her own. The other track with lyrics is the closer "Cocoon" on which I suppose the singer is Yossi himself. Very nice voice, indeed.

The music, very well produced, is a mixture of oriental influences due to the use of traditional string instruments (charango excluded), rock guitar riffs, and catchy melodies sometimes borderline with newage. In particular, "Neo Quest" has some contact points with the Greek keyboardist Yanni. At least I think to hear so, but don't get me wrong: it's prog.

The hot and dry ambience can be found in the first two tracks, then the music takes its own path crossing various genres.

The result is a good album with some very true highlights which is forcing me to dig into its follow-up Roots And Roads, also that sent me by the artist for a review.

I apologize for the long time taken with 4 deserved stars.