VOYAGER

Cailyn Lloyd is a talented multi-instrumentalist, playing piano, violin, bass and guitar. Voyager, a concept album based on the journey of the spacecraft(s) of the same name, automatically sets the bar high with its high concept. Prog arrangements of excerpts from Holst's The Planets set it even higher. It would be difficult for anyone to live up to the expectations produced by such ambition. Voyager succeeds in some ways, but not all.

Production and technique on this album are superb. Each instrument is pristine, and each played more than competently with tasteful arrangement. However, "tasteful" is not enough to capture the grandeur of the Voyagers' history-making journey, and therein lies the problem. While portions of Voyager are great prog rock, the tracks on the whole do not describe the incredible awesomeness of space or the alien worlds visited. There are a few wonderful highlights that do bring some true wonder into it: "Europa," a luscious exploration of unusual chord-changes that feel truly out-of-the-ordinary, and "Neptune" in which Lloyd arranged some of Holst's work in ways that instantly evoke "cold" and "alien" responses. Possibly the most rewarding track is "Pale Blue Dot," based on a single image taken of the Earth from beyond the orbit of Pluto. It is less proggish than the other tracks, but more poignant with a more orchestral style. It captures a sense of loneliness and smallness while still feeling hopeful.

One complaint about the album as a whole: while Lloyd plays and arranges well overall, I found her guitar leads to be singularly uninspired. They seemed to be based more on what is easy to play rather than what would elevate the music to an epic level or enhance the emotional response of a listener.

Overall, this is good but to represent the Voyagers' journey it should have been... grander. If, however, you are looking for generally well-produced and arranged instrumental prog music, this will certainly fit the bill.