'TAGE MAHAL

This is as good as it gets folks!!! Although most people may know Jon Oliva from Savatage, this solo disc is possibly better than almost anything Savatage has ever released!!! Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the pre-1989 Savatage, when they were primarily a struggling metal band with terrible lyrics and very little taste (take a song like "She's In Love" for instance...a song about fellatio). By 1989 and the release of "Gutter Ballet", Savatage had finally started to show that there was something else going on behind the scenes, a need to explore the realms of melody and, dare I say it...theatre!!!!

1990's "Streets", dubbed as a rock opera, was their crowning achievement at the time, and although you will never mistake Jon Oliva's gravelly screech for say Bruce Dickinson, there is emotion in Jon's voice that I rarely hear from any other musician. Unfortunately they followed this disc with another weak metal disc, then Jon's brother was killed in a car accident in 1993. At that time Jon took a step back, and although still part of the group, he took a back seat until the their first 21st century album "Poets And Madmen."

From what I can tell, the songs on 'Tage Mahal are all Savatage leftovers, which is fine with me because these are some of the better songs the band could have released. Jon did and he scored a perfect 5 star review in my books...this album is a mix of beautiful melodies, hard rocking guitars, and soaring choruses. If you're a fan of "Streets" or "Poets And Madmen", buy this now...run!!