VELVET THUNDER

One thing Carl Baldassarre can certainly claim to be is a sharp, disciplined composer. Some of the tracks here are shorter, bridging pieces, but when he is composing a song it manages to hang together concisely and to the point, even when allowing itself to spin out into instrumental flights of fancy or a tricky time change or two.

You might be thinking ‘who?’ or possibly ‘that’s an odd band name’ at this point, but in fact this album is a solo project from experienced guitarist and composer Carl Baldassarre – perhaps familiar to some who will remember his band Syzygy from the post-milennial decade. A highly respected figure, Baldassarre has collaborated with a lengthy roster of artists, culminating in this solo album. The third in a series of four stylistically varied albums, this is the one which sees him returning to what may be termed as his ‘spiritual home’ of unabashed progressive rock. It sounded good from the description, so I checked it out – only to find it is in fact very good.

This isn’t an album chock full of ten minute epics (of its 14 tracks spanning just under 54 minutes only two break the six-minute barrier), but it doesn’t have to be. One thing Carl Baldassarre can certainly claim to be is a sharp, disciplined composer. Some of the tracks here are shorter, bridging pieces, but when he is composing a song it manages to hang together concisely and to the point, even when allowing itself to spin out into instrumental flights of fancy or a tricky time change or two. And there a host of influences from what one may term ‘the golden age’ on display throughout this album – one can easily see why he has gravitated so happily into the genre, as it clearly is the duck to the proverbial Topographic water. There is a concept underpinning all of this (and who doesn’t want that in such a gloriously unashamed prog celebration as this), but it is certainly not one which is required to get full pleasure from the album in any way – an optional extra layer, if you will.

The first three tracks here lay out the stall of what is on offer perfectly. The symphonic introductory Prelude & Overture gives way to Figures, which is the first of two songs on the album to give a sizeable nod to Gentle Giant, as it manages that band’s feat of being concise yet complex and quirky all at the same time. It’s a great piece, but perhaps even better is Coin A Phrase, which may be the best song Jethro Tull have never done. Far from a slavish rehashing of Ian Anderson’s musings, it rather manages to quite brilliantly distill all which was so great about that band at their peak within four minutes, and yet even manage to up the prog content and end up as completely ‘Baldassarre’. It’s a marvellous example of allowing your influences to inform some superb songwriting.

14 tracks leaves it less desirable to trek through each in turn, as such may result in a rather drier read than the album as a listen, but some of the highlights are easily picked out. The sumptuously melodiic Crossing The Highgate is quite sublime, while Nightwork takes that Gentle Giant nod again for a track which could sit alongside anything on the Three Friends album. Secrets stretches out a little, with a slight funky edge leading into some of the best guitar work on the album, while Dark Delusions gives things an appropriately ‘darker’ tone. Catharsis channels Dream Theater without the techno-flash to great effect, while Second-Hand Smoke marries a little more of that funk with a little twist of Wakeman. The album ends on a fine note with the longest track, The Letter, leading into the appropriately stirring Epilogue.

It’s an album which uses a substantial cast of musicians, while having Baldassarre’s guitar at its spiritual heart, and does pull in the occasional ‘heavy friend’, such as Nick D’Virgilio who conbtributes lead vocals on three tracks as well as drums. It manages not to be a ‘one man band’ sort of effort, while still projecting the central vision of its creator, and that is something to be applauded.

Another thing which I think deserves special note is a rather splendid piece of marketing for those who like their music portable but also like the physical product – say hello to the unique Baldassarre USB Cassette format. Opening up a classic cassette case, complete with six page booklet containing the packaging from the CD, one sees a genuine vintage cassette tape. Except it is not, but instead a look at the open ‘tape’ part of the cassette reveals a USB drive snugly packaged in there, containing the album in FLAC, WAV and MP3 formats. It really is a beautifully different way to present the music, especially given the somewhat puzzling retro fuss around cassettes lately. This way you get the classic packaging format without any of the infuriating limitations of the tape format itself.

A fine album, with a nicely different alternative way of owning and collecting it. That’s a nifty double header, and adds up to an album you really should investigate.