SPLENDOR SOLIS

Here's a completely blind purchase I made; based on the album cover and a few words of encouragement from the record store owner, I picked up The Tea Party's 'Splendor Solis' out of the discount bin and brought it home. While I have been often duped by my constant hope that I will find a new great band I've never heard before from those discount bins, there is always the rare album like 'Splendor Solis' that keeps me coming back. Although very clearly influenced by a couple of bands that covered their ground back in the '60s and '70s, The Tea Party manages to take the classic rock sound and give it a modern do-over, which on its own is a worthy feat. Besides that, the album is a feast of organic sounds, clever songwriting and powerful performance; in other words, a perfect introduction to this band.

While the classic rock sound has been coming back as of late, The Tea Party does it with conviction. When describing the sound of the band, the best way to compare them would be as a cross between the instrumentation of Led Zeppelin and the vocals of Jim Morrison, from the Doors. Of course, The Tea Party has something of their own style, but a newcomer to their sound might not recognize it at first. Regardless, whatever The Tea Party does, they do incredibly well. From the Middle-Eastern tinge of 'The River' to the charming pastoral acoustics of 'Midsummer Day' to the proggy beauty of 'A Certain Slant Of Light', there is always something new being explored with the sound.

For the instrumentation, there are many Jimmy Pageisms and other Led Zeppelin inspired material here. 'Winter Solstice' is a short acoustic ditty that could have easily been mistaken as a Page solo piece. 'Sun Going Down' is very close in sound to Zeppelin's 'When The Levee Breaks'. Luckily, the songwriting and power the band maintains keeps things well worth a listen, despite the fact that this is not such an original work. Usually innovation is key to making a masterpiece, but The Tea Party does the classic rock sound so well that the album quality of 'Splendor Solis' is undeniable to me.

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