INTO THE SUNSET

Into The Sunset was the first Erik Norlander solo album I bought. I already knew him from his fantastic work on the keyboards on his wife´s records, the great singer Lana Lane. So it was no surprise it was an excellent efford. Incredibly, Norlander does not make an all and out keyboard driven CD: he definitly has a more band member mind. So the music comes first and virtuosity second. he could do a very ego trip, certainly he does have the chops to do such a thing, but fortunatly his work has enough room for the other musicians to shine. And, besides, with axemen like Arjen Anthony Lucassen (Ayreon, Star One) on guitar and Tony Franklin (The Firm) on bass, plus singers that inlcude the legendary Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple) and Lana Lane on vocals, how could he not?

Of course this album has its faults, the song Rome Is Burning (sung by Hughes) sounds too heavy when put together with the rest of the tracks. It is not a bad song, on the contraty, a great rocking number, very much in the vein of Deep Purple. But the rest of the CD is quite different and progressive, making this tune sit rather awkwardly between the others. Anyway, Into The Sunset is still a fine prog album, showing off Norlander´s great songwriting ability and musical prowness. Highlights? The beautiful instrumental Dreamcurrents (fine cello arrangement here), the powerful Lines On The Sand (very good vocals by Robert Soeterbroek) and the epic On The Wing Of Ghosts (many shifting moods, wonderful keyboards textures and a duelling guitar solo by Lucassen). Varied and creative. Not a single bad track or filler.

As usual the album was produced, arranged and engineered by Erik Norlander himself. Another excellent work of one of prog´s best keyboardists to appear in the last decade. Highly recommended.