BROTHER WHERE YOU BOUND

Ever since that Roger Hodgson left Supertramp I was never interested to listen to the group´s following works. Although some friends did praise Brother Where You Bond, no one did it afterwards. To me the combination of Hodger and Davies compositions and vocals were the key elements of Supertramp´s winning formula. And, to me at least, it was clear that Hodgson was both a better songwriter and better singer. Still tthe combination was great. And to know that Hodgson was not replaced only increased my fears that the band would become Davies backing group. So why bother? I just forgot about it all at the time. Through the years I only sometimes took a peek at Hodger´s solo work.

Only recently I´ve decided to listen to Brother Where You Bound, because the record was available through my brother in law and I was curious about it. Was it really good as some people claim?: So many four stars ratings and even a few 5 star too! But after repeated spinnings in the last weeks, I found out that my instincts about it were right from the start. It DOES sound like a Ricard Davies solo album backed by Supertramp, minus the guitar parts. Ok, there is a guest guitarist, but you´ll hardly notice him. The only noticeable guitar here is Gilmour´s appearance on the title track, the longest and most progressive track Supertramp ever recorded. Still, it´s hardly a good one. It´s more like a hodgepodge of bits of songs put together. Nice, like the album as a whole, but nothing compared to anything they recorded before. They´d be very good if intermixed with some tunes from Hodger, but on their own only shows who was the real force behind Supertramp´s success, both artistically and commercially. But on their own, they are just ok. Can you foresee a Supertramp´s greatest hits album with only Davies songs? Neither can I.

In the end I found nothing wrong with Brother Where You Bound. But nothing that excites me either. And I wonder what was so great about it that made so many reviewers give it a for star rating. Because this CD may have its moments, but in no way I can see it as an excellent addition to any prog rock music collection. This is really for fans and collectors.

Ratng: 2.5 stars.