STORMS OVER STILL WATER

In 2001 I attended a progrock festival in Holland, Mostly Autumn took my attention because of their pleasant blend of prog and folk. Especially the heavy David Gilmour- influenced guitarist blew me away! Since then this band has released a lot of material, gained a large progrock audience and even reached the television. This is their latest album, my CD version doesn't include a DVD.

1. Out of the Green Sky This operner contain a slow rhythm and a bombastic climate featuring duo-vocals (a bit theatrical female vocals) and great slide-guitar play.

2. Broken Glass A tight rhythm-section with a mid-tempo, male vocals and tasteful keyboards. To me it sounds a bit polished.

3. Ghost in Dreamland The atmosphere changes from mellow to bombastic featuring wonderful piano work and a good synthesizer solo. The duo-vocals do a great job here.

4. Heart Life First twanging acoustic guitar, flute and warm vocals, then halfway it turns into more bombastic delivering emotional female vocals and lush organ waves. The final part features a wonderful, very sensitive electric guitar solo.

5. The End of the World The climates change from dreamy with melancholical vocals and twanging acoustic guitar to bombastic (slow rhythm), this is very pleasant prog.

6. Black Rain A mid-tempo rhythm with duo-vocals and a fine electric guitar solo. Not very intreresting (understatement for a bit boring!).

7. Coming to... After some noisy sounds, this short piece delivers heavy guitar riffs.

8. Candle to the Sky One of the highlights on this album! First a dreamy climate with a slow rhtyhm and melancholical vocals, then a bombastic eruption with organ, followed by a cheerful atmosphere with The Beatles-like vocal harmonies. The end contains a dreamy climate with fragile play on the electric guitar and soaring keyboards, wonderful.

9. Carpe Diem This track features the distinctive sound of the Uillean pipes, along with tender piano, very moving, this folky side of Mostly Autumn pleases me! Halfway there is a splendid build-up, it becomes more and more bombastic, culminating in a mindblowing Floydian guitar solo.

10. Storms over Still Water In this song the climate is a bit melancholical with twanging acoustic guitar, orchestral keyboards, piano and warm vocals. Then a slow and more bombastic atmosphere, again culminating in a mindblowing Floydian guitar solo, GREAT!

11. Tomorrow

Another typical Mostly Autumn composition: a slow rhythm and a bombastic climate with propulsive drum beats and fiery electric guitar.

Despite some mediocre, polished mid-tempo songs, this album features two strong faces from Mostly Autumn: wonderful, very tasteful folky inspired tracks and compelling bombastic climates featuring a slow rhythm and some excellent guitar work in the vein of DAVID GILMOUR.