OUT OF MY BOX

Out of My Box was another compilation issued by Milo Black, but instead of endless selections of songs that never made it onto proper albums, this one consisted of Internet collaborations between Milo Black's sole member, Miles Walsh, and countless other independent musicians and singers that at one time inhabited mp3.com in the late 1990s through the early 2000s. The list of collaborators consists of a bunch of people I have never heard before (and I probably would never want to hear again), but a few stand out as I've heard them on other independent prog projects I've taken a liking to, including vocalists Duane Tate and Kim Novak.

This collection is the mother of all mixed bags. Walsh certainly is a very diverse fellow, collaborating on songs that range from dance music, to old time rock, to ballads, and even country-tinged rock. Admittedly I have absolutely no interest in some of these genres, but I have to admire Walsh's courage to tackle these genres. Because I have no experience with these genres, I cannot honestly say if Walsh did a good job on these or not. For most of them, I find them completely forgettable and it's not because of Walsh's work on the song, it's because I don't care for the genre or style of the material. There are some production issues, but for the most part, they're not the distraction.

The best songs I like on this compilation are I Found Love (sung by Tammy Swindell), Near and Far (sung by Duane Tate), and Wild Horses (sung by Jennifer Shaw Hancock). The odd thing is that these are far from being in the progressive rock genre. Near and Far is as close as it gets having an almost Floydian blues vibe throughout the song. The main reason I like these three songs the best is because Walsh takes out his guitar and kicks my brain in with some soaring solos.

Practically no progressive rock on this release, but an interesting lesson in Internet collaborations as Walsh writes several paragraphs on the insert about how these creations came to be. Clearly for completionists or die-hard Milo Black fans. Two stars.