STILL A NATURAL CONDITION

This is the debut EP worked out by a band you've probably never heard of. Hopefully 'Still A Natural Condition' will change that considerably. COBALT BLUE is a promising progressive rock trio hailing from South Brazil..Music is their great tie since childhood, you can hear it. Please listen to the five songs in one go, it works like an epic. While they are absorbing influences from the earlier Porcupine Tree, Pink Floyd, but also jazzy elements.the music incorporates multiple impressions. Due to sophisticated arrangements this sounds rather eclectic to me.

Psychedelic elements are significant overall, for example the dawning start-up showcases a melancholic spacey intro. But they turn into a short canterbury groove, followed by mysterious sound samples which seems to derive from somewhere right in the center of a jungle. You see, variety is the name of the game here, well thought out to make it clear. Autumn shows a nice groovy part with pleading guitar. Featuring excellent flute attendance the following songs mark the peak while combining a jazzy vibe with heavy escapes and Pink Floyd sentment.

'Still A Natural Condition' is a very entertaining affair, great song-writing, top-notch musicianship, even the vocals are excellent. So for me the package comes completely rounded including everything the prog fan's heart desires, ranging from relaxed melancholic parts to explosive moments. Splendid - hopefully we will hear more from them sooner or later ...

I guess we don't need to worry about "prog" being at risk of extinction from the face of the Earth. Cobalt Blue are a brand new endeavor - so new that there isn't even a Wikipedia article about them .. not even in Portuguese. Yet their new, first and so far the only release is quite an impressive musical achievement.

I will probably be coming back to this review and revising it, once I have had a chance to listen to Cobalt Blue a few more times, but here is where I stand right now:

The first, second and third listen to the Still a Natural Condition yielded a distinctively positive impression. Whereas the album isn't built upon innovative ideas or a unique sound, the quality of their musicianship is more than adequate, which makes me hope that these folks can go far in the world of "prog". That is, provided they develop gusto for breaking some moldy molds and creating a roomier space for their self-expression.

It may be a premature conclusion, but at least some of the Cobalt Blue's inspiration appears to have come from Maestro Wilson himself. For example, Autumn (Track #2) sounds almost like a re-enactment of the Lips of Ashes ? with enough creative differences not to come across as a direct imitation. In one place, I swear I could hear what sounded to my ear like a sample from the Phase I of Voyage 34.

But, it's all good; only time will tell what these fine young men will evolve into. I am certainly looking forward to their next release.