ELEMENTS OF PERSUASION

...Either that, or we bought this CD and got the wrong CD completely because James LaBrie shows he can truly shine as a soloist with Elements of Persuasion!

James LaBrie, noted for his work with Dream Theater, and has appeared on albums by Ayreon and Shadow Gallery, HAS worked on his own before with Mullmuzzler, but none of his solo work even compares to the mastery on Elements of Persuasion!

The line-up is impressive with Bassist Brian Beller (worked with Steve Vai), Drums by Mike Mangini (Extreme and Annihilator), Matt Guillory (Dali's Dilemma) on Keys and newcomer Marco Sfogli on guitar. Sfogli shows his Petrucci influence by using a Petrucci Signature guitar and he truly does near enough rival the skill of Petrucci on this album.

The CD begins with "Crucify", a song which has a DT feel to it, and almost sounds like The Glass Prison all over again. You can tell from the beginning that the CD won't be like DT, as the song progresses and gets heavier. LaBrie's lyrics kick in deep, when he hits the chorus he shows his true colours! Truly an awesome track.

Track two is "Alone", which a few of my friends and I think starts with a kind of Linkin Park sound, but gets heavier again, as it progresses. Again, the lyrics are immaculate and the song as a whole is breathtaking.

The third track is "Freak", and this track is my second favourite on the album. In this track especially, Sfogli shows some guitar-work to show he's a force to be reckoned with, and I instantly fell in love with the lyrics of this song, pulled off amazingly by LaBrie!

Track four is "Invisible", and isn't my favourite on the CD but still a good track, the guitar work reminds me very vaguely of Stream of Consciousness, mixed with In The Name of God. The vocal work by LaBrie is good, but weak at points in this track.

The fifth track is "Lost". The song is a lot mellower than the previous tracks and the lyrics are very atmospheric, and it all mixes together to make a decent track!

Track six is "Undecided", which is my third favourite track on the CD. It starts out awesome with a Guitar and Keyboard intro, then LaBrie's voice kicks in and the track lifts off. Truly great!

"Smashed" is the first ballad of the album and track seven. It's a very pleasant sounding track and LaBrie sings in ballads well. The piano work and guitar work is amazing in this song. Good ballad, but "Slightly Out of Reach" is a better ballad.

"Pretender" is track eight, and my favourite track. Contrary to the previous reviews I believe this song is very uplifting and paced. The lyrics are amazing and LaBrie sings them well. The music in this song is very captivating as well. Amazing track!

"Slightly Out of Reach" is track nine and a truly pleasant sounding ballad, drumwork fits extremely well with the rest of the song and the lyrics and singing by LaBrie are again awesome.

"Oblivious" is track ten. The track is milder than the other songs on the album, but still strong in its own right!

"In Too Deep" starts with keys which sound vaguely like Misunderstood. Heavier than said song though, really an interesting song though. Quite atmospheric. Good nonetheless!

"Drained" is the final track of the album and is a really strong track, with really interesting music. The vocals seem to be answered by the keys, which is something I've never heard before. It's a great track! Perfect for closing an album!

In conclusion, this album is a definite must for fans of Dream Theater, especially fans of the Train of Thought album. The album really is something to keep us DT fans satisfied until Octavarium this June. I, for one, can't wait! Sfogli definitely is a name I will keep a watch for!

Worth every penny, and definitely worth the 4 Star Rating!

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