CERULEAN BLUE

Rain came out of nowhere with his debut release, Cerulean Blue in 2004. This multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter and television director is a fairly mysterious figure being that his website really doesn't offer much information on him. That's not really what matters though - how does the music sound is what all we proggers are thinking about. Well, Cerulean Blue is a gorgeous effort by this man - and one of those kind of albums that can really be called ''an experience'' instead of just ''an album''. The soundtrack-like music, the haunting spoken word intros to the songs, the chorus of sad voices - these all add up to something that calls you back for more and more and can really get your emotions going after a couple of listens.

If we're talking about what it sounds like, the music is kind of hard to describe. A comparison that comes to mind is like a dark Moody Blues in terms of storytelling (the 60s version) meets Phideaux-like orchestration. As stated before, every song starts with a spoken word intro and launches into the actual song. These spoken word parts could have royally messed up the album but really wind up lending to it well. The chilling story-teller's voice reads letters aloud and makes comments on them. They tell some very sad stories, and combined with the melancholic choice of chords make for a very emotional album.

Like many prog albums, this one is more of an album-album. No songs really stand out on top of one another here, and they all work in tandem while being their own entities. The opening The Lammas Lands is a very soothing (yet still sad song) with one singer and a multitude of instruments while Parsifal has an almost church-like feel to it with a chorus of voices taking over for the majority of the song. The narrator sets up the mood once more, ''playing the fool to the wounded king...'' and the music comes in once more to enforce that. Vocals come in and turn the song into a thing of beauty. The Silver Apples Of The Moon is another very sad song as is Light and Magic, a song which is likely fueled by 'Rain's day-job (the television and film industry). The twist at the end of the album (story wise) is yet another heart-wrencher with the title track ending the album majestically.

The entire thing is very sad. Sad voices, sad chords, sad narration - and yet the album is so vastly enjoyable without becoming downer. Strange how that works, really. Oddly enough, the beauty of the album really takes over and none of the melancholy sinks in until the very end of the album. No one can call this album robotic or shallow, that's for sure.

This album is going to get what it deserves - 4 stars out of 5. A wonderful, amazing album that works on so many levels with the listener's emotion. Recommended for all, but people who are into heavier (more metal) music may feel left out of the experience. Still, it's worth a shot. This one is another one that's for free on the artist's website. A lot of those have been let downs when it comes to quality, but this one really is not. Everyone should at least check this album out since the price it right - you won't soon be forgetting it.

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