LIES AND BUTTERFLIES

This is the Canadian proggers' seventh studio album and second with vocalist Jean Pageau fronting the band. I thought their last album Delusion Rain was very good and Lies and Butterflies is a progression from that. It has seven tracks and total playing time of just over 64 minutes. The first and last tracks are both 15 + minutes long.

The first track Looking For Someone Else starts off like a live track with the audience clapping and shouting, but soon dies away thank goodness and the music gets going. To my ears Jean Pageau voice sounds impeccable. He can sing loud or quiet with equal clarity and feeling. The guitars, keyboard and drums really shine through and there quiet, peaceful and loud parts to this track, quite epic and Mystery at their best.

Next track, Come To Me starts off with some nice acoustic guitar and gradually builds to a crescendo near the end. Next it's How Do You Feel? Which is the shortest track. This is a ballad type song with some truly excellent guitar work and the first time I heard it I was blown away. This just might be my favourite song on the album. Something To Believe In continues with some excellent singing and the band giving their all. Dare To Dream is all about dreaming of a new life and thought it was a very well structured song. Continuing the dream theme next it's Where Dreams Come Alive, which is about daydreaming and at start of the song there is excellent bass guitar, very nice. Finally it's Chrysalis which is about a couple enjoying the delights of a forest and the life of a butterfly.

I found this Mystery album very enjoyable, with some excellent songs, well sung and backed by some first class musicians making it a pleasure to listen to. It's an easy four stars.