THERE'S NO WAY OUT

Rodrigo San Martin is a young artist from Argentina, who plays with prog rock outfit De Rien and is also involved with another project called Souls ignite. There´s No Way Out is his second solo CD and you can download it free on his website. He plays all the instruments himself, and he does that very well. But unlikely many other do-it-yourself artists, he probably knows his limitations at the vocal department and decided to ask real fine singers to enhance his songs. In this case he chose serbian singer Jelena Persic and USA-born Craig Kerley to performe that job. All lyrics are in english giving it an overall international feel.

The CD, actually it´s more like an EP, has only three tracks and 42 minutes of playing time. The opener 4378th Day is surely my favorite here: a real melodic, laid back symphonic tune with several changes and moods, fine retro keyboards, excellent acoustic and eletric guitars parts and, above all, Persic´s warm vocals. To me this is the record´s highlight and this track alone justifies having the CD. The second track shows a total change of musical path, with a more rocking approach featuring driving bass, good mellotron, Kerley´s strong vocals and a very interesting slower middle section. The AOR-like chorus sounds a bit out of place here, though.

The record´s third track, War Part 2, is the most elaborated and challeging of them all. In its 20 minute time we are facing almost death metal guitars and drumming, some dissonant parts and mostly calmer moments where again San Martin´s guitar playing and Parcic´s vocals are a highlight. Some people may get annoyed by the programmed drums, but I really think those are not intrusive and they work well inside the musical frame of the CD. Aside from the few noisy heavier parts, I liked this epic a lot for it shows not only San Martin´s skill and versatility, but also his knack for writing great tunes.

All in all I found this CD to be pleasant and interesting. Its short time is the only real fault, since it makes you longing for more. I hope next time he record more stuff. Argentina has a long and prolific musical tradition and has produced some real fine prog works. Rodrigo San Martin proves that the young generation has learned a great deal from the classics. Certainly this is a very promising work from this very promising artist.

Rating: something between 3.5 and 4 stars.