SELF

The new alblum by Fernando. Alot different the styleof this alblum vs Quadrilogy he made ..this is more crossover in sound. Shorter songs remind me of andy latimer on vocals at times meets lil bit beach boys and the wallflowers.

1. Searching for Myself (4:12)8 out 10 2. Everything Leads to Now (2:55)7 out 10 3. Optimist Prime (2:15)7 out of 10 4. Absolute Silence (2:23)7 out 10 5. Who I Really Am (4:08)-10 out 10 this sounds like steve miller band song best song on alblum other then epic. 6. All of Us Under the Same Moon (2:21)7 out 10 7. Self (19:43) 10 out 10 this is epic... most prog sounding song on alblum ....while rest is short songs exploring more crossover 60s and 70s like sounds and minor alternative rock.

2 songs are bread and butter here rest are average its good 3.5 stars from me i rate this 75 out 100 overall. an alblum sample not worth purchase imho an stream it or own digital copy vs cd copy.

Over the years I have heard quite a few of Fernando's albums, and to be honest I have often felt he has missed the mark, but this one did show promise, at least at the beginning. The reason for the title is that Fernando did everything himself, from playing all the instruments and providing vocals through to production. Perdomo comments, "'Self' is not just an album. It is a definition of who I am. It is the most complete statement I have ever made as a recording artist." He admits he is heavily influenced by a diverse group of musicians from Todd Rundgren, Yes, Emitt Rhodes, Paul McCartney and Jason Falkner, and the result here is a somewhat eccentric set of songs. Three are under three minutes in length, two just break four, while the closer is nearly twenty minutes long.

That is seen as being the prog epic, but unfortunately this is the song which lets the rest of the album down. Up until then we have had some interesting pop/rock numbers which work well, but there is little right with this as the harmony vocals feel strained and suffer and the melodic guitar works well in its own right but not when placed against the rest of the arrangement. It is very sixties in its styling, but it is the lack of polish and finesse which means it is never has the impact he is looking for. Possibly this would have worked much better as an instrumental as in many ways the guitar is the voice anyway, but the vocals as they are really detract from the overall impact. I could have done without the inclusion of 'Self' on the album of the same name, and it would have been much improved if the first six songs had been released as an EP or if there had been more of the same to conclude the album.