WALL STREET VOODOO

First of all, this is certainly nothing I expected. Wallstreet Voodoo is a straight-forward rock album, less prog-oriented than any other of Stolt's previous works, if prog at all. Song durations are usually approaching ten minutes, but that's mainly because of several long guitar solos/jams. Personally, I don't like pentatonic-based bluesy stuff like this, but Stolt plays some very impressive solos all along the album, which makes the album worth listening. It's quite surprising to discover that somebody still can find something new in hard rock soloing. No cliches are being repeated in these guitar pieces. Stolt's guitar speaks much more than his vocals on this album, and he reaches many moods by using many different techniques, especially his slide guitar is phenomenal. There are also nice jazz influences all along the album, and on It's All About Money he even goes really jazzy in his solos, which surprised me. This guy really handles various styles! I'm also glad to hear Neal Morse performing on the album, and he does some good vocal spots. Morse's voice has clearly improved since the time with Spock's Beard, he reaches some pretty high notes at least on the opener track. But despite these facts, if you're looking for a progressive album, I won't recommend this one.