VISION

The Lorandi family is at it again churning out an album of melodic jazz-rock fusion based in sound palettes familiar to prog rock.

1. "Ouverture" (4:03) a pleasant upbeat instrumental to get us started--like a nice drive through the Lombard countryside. (8.75/10)

2. "Moments of Life" (10:28) a very pretty, mellow, almost STEVE HACKETT-pretty heart-jerker. At the four-minute mark an electronica sequence enters and dominates the baseline of the weave until the rock instruments kick back in with some cinematic aplomb and bombast. Nice!The break out into a swing section at the eight-minute mark is a bit hokey (and disappointing) but appropriate to the symphonic cinematic mood already promoted here. Nice emotive lead guitar work in the last 90 seconds. (17.5/20)

3. "Triptych" (6:54) sounds a bit like some of DAAL's earlier music--driven from the lower end of each musician's realms. Nice jazz-fusion instrumental work but nothing very extraordinary here except for the familiar sound palette. (13/15)

4. "Air" (6:38) sounds like sound palette behind FOCUS' "Wingless" (from the 1978 Con Proby album) with a different set of instruments exploring the lead melody transmission jobs. At 3:18 we are once more transported into the bass-heavy, 'tron-drenched "classical" music of DAAL. (8.75/10)

5. "Psycho" (4:32) spry KEITH EMERSON-like keys sprout into the opening of this one as the rest of the band eventually fill the ELP-like musical field. The structure of this one has some really nice buildup of tension over which some nice soloing occurs. Very nice, tight construct with equally tight top-notch musicianship. Another top three song. (9/10)

6. "La Fenice alla Corte del Re" (6:34) a little foray into the territory of KING CRIMSON and NIL. Nicely done. The band can really pull it together and sound like a top notch prog band instead of a cinematic orchestra. Definitely a top three song. (9/10)

7. "Propulsione" (6:42) feels like a musical expression of some speed test. I like the play with scales and polyphony within some of the parts. Then there's the KCrimson-like vocal melody explored by the family choir. Another top three song. (9/10)

8. "Mamma RAI" (4:36) feels like a cross between a FOCUS song and the TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA. (8.75/10)

9. "Threefour" (2:06) a cute little ditty that makes for a great little exit song--like going out with a waltz! (4.5/5)

Total Time 52:33

B/four stars; an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection--especially if you're into solid cinematic instrumental music.