KURT RONGEY

I've given this cd a good five listens now, and I'm still conflicted. While I tend to enjoy the overall work better with each passing listen, and there are passages of true brilliance, there is also a lot here that really misses the mark for me. Let me first say that Rongey is a very talented keyboard player, clearly classically trained (based on some of the piano solos that sound as though they could have been penned by Dmitri Shostakovich), and making generous use of many many keyboard sounds - there are some song sections that are saved simply by the unique quality of the sounds he evokes from his instruments.

I also give him kudos for finding that whole Russian feel to the overall work, though that means a rather dark atmosphere for most of these songs. He favors dissonance and unexpected vocal lines in many places, not unlike what UR would continue on their two studio albums. I can take that as long as he keeps a musical direction and plays his heart out on the keyboards. But there are many (too many, for me) songs or sections of songs where the dissonance and starkness loses me - e.g. I could have done without either of the last two short songs that end the album, especially the very stark "Poem" with its long bouts of silence interrupted by random stabs of notes.

I do like originality, and this keeps me interested in the more complex and melodic moments - I love the whole 16-minute "St. Petersburg" suite that begins the album, for example. But ultimately, the contrasts between what I loved and what I hated were too great for me to reconcile. (Luckily, the guy is a keyboard virtuoso, the sound engineering is fantastic, and the cd is over an hour long.)

One other warning: Rongey does programmed drumming on this. I typically loathe programmed drums, though he does a pretty good job here of fooling the listener. Still, I think I may have been more of a fan with a great drummer sitting in here....

I'm giving it a generous 2.5 stars - the guy can play, but there's just too much here that says to me "nyet"...

''Book in hand'' is an impressive mix of Symphonic Rock and Avant-Fusion with plenty of great keyboard work.More impressively,Mr. Rongey handles all instruments and vocals in this album with no help at all from other musicians,making this difficult mix quite an achievement.His classical studies are evident in parts of his compositions,especially in the more symphonic-oriented passages,where you can listen to obvious GENESIS and E.L.P. influences,characterized by the bombastic Hammond organ,piano and church organ work.This particular style is often supported by Fusion-esque complicated keyboard parts and atmospheric grandiose synths with a strong amount of breaks in the style of U.K.,TUNNELS and early MASTERMIND.Some tracks though like ''A glance'' or the following ''Dark'' are almost entirely built around synths in an Avant-Symphonic-Electronic style with little variety but with a dominant obscure atmosphere you can't do else but enjoying.

This is a great work,close to the likes of bands like ATAVISM OF TWILIGHT,BIRDS AND BUILDINGS or DELUGE GRANDER.A nice Fusion/Symphonic Rock affair with lots of twists and turns and a fantastic item for keyboard fanatics.Strongly recommended...3.5 stars.