LEHMEJUM

When Brasilian band Lehmejum made this first album, they were at about ten years busy in the world of the music, the last years mainly in pubs for the pure fans. The music is impressive keyboard driven prog with excellent musicians, tastefully arranged compositions and lots of variation. The focus is on the Keith Emerson inspired keyboard work like in Bruce Lee and Torresmo And Puruca, evoking the great days of Fanfare For The Common Man by ELP. In the track Was It What You Wanted we can enjoy wonderful play on the fretless bass, propulsive drums and compelling organ. The beautiful classical piano play in Possesed Woman brings another keyboard virtuoso on my mind, Rick Wakeman. Most of the 13 songs alternates between bombastic symphonic rock, fusion and jazzrock. Violin player Cassio Poletto has a fine contribution in the bonustrack Two Ways. GREAT DEBUT!

Earnest and well-made issue from this somewhat obscure Brazilian power trio with an impressive "no playback or additional keyboards" approach to the recording, an instrumental fusion of old school heavy symph and bossa nova-flavored jazzrock. Comparisons are easily drawn to ELP but overall this is closer to what the guys in Niacin do, and the lineup is identical: the jazz chops of drummer Edu Vianna, bassist Gilba Pinto's popping highs, the racing keys and enthusiastic leadership of Pedro Maprelian throw out the kind of energy that would be very hard to keep up with if you were a band sharing the bill. Needless to say, Lehmejum would be a great act to catch.

The disc is packed with twelve congenial cuts plus a fourteen-minute bonus totaling over 70 minutes of music. Generous, though the presentation might've been improved with a more selective menu. Still, 'Bruce Lee' is a high-octane starter, a tribute in rhythm to the martial master bested by the pulmonary 'Was it What You Wanted?', a marvelous arrangement. Chuck Mangione-like 'Torresmo and Puruga' isn't bad, three part 'Last Chance' is more lounge than rock, and centerpiece 'I Wanna Sleep' is much ado about nothing. But they redeem with fun 'Nothing Founded' done in a later period Keith Emerson vein followed nicely by monasterial 'With the Grace of God', playful 'Dance of the Daggers' and sprawling 'Two Ways'. Good stuff, generally.