LEONARDO - THE ABSOLUTE MAN

"Leonardo - The Absolute Man" is a rock opera project which initially began as an idea of head of the Magna Carta label Pete Morticelli. Morticelli turned the project over to Trent Gardner (Magellan, Explorer's Club) who wrote, recorded, and produced the album with the aid of a cast of vocalists and musicians. The hope for the project was that it one day could work as an original cast recording for a stage performance. "Leonardo - The Absolute Man" is a concept piece telling the story of the life of famous renaissance painter/scientist Leonardo da Vinci. James Labrie (Dream Theater) sings/plays the part of Leonardo, while other roles are filled by artists such as Steve Walsh (Kansas), Michelle Young (Glass Hammer), and Lisa Bouchelle (Mastermind). It´s quite a massive project that took Trent Gardner several years to complete.

Stylistically the music is a combination of heavy/hard rock, classical, jazz, and progressive rock/metal with both male and female vocalists performing parts. The vocals arrangements (which include choirs) are quite exquisite, and the same can be said about the instrumental part of the music. The playing is also tight, and it´s just overall an incredibly professional sounding release.

The sound production is also professional, polished, and well sounding, suiting the music perfectly. So there´s almost only positive things to say about "Leonardo - The Absolute Man". A bit more gritt and a little less polish could probably have provided the album with some edge, which is the only thing I´m missing here. At times it all becomes slightly too polished and nice, but I´m sure that´s a matter of taste. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.