SUNDAY ALL OVER THE WORLD: KNEELING AT THE SHRINE

Queen Crimson?

Sub-genre: Eclectic Prog (80's Crimson style)
For Fans of: 80's Crimson, Kate Bush
Vocal Style: Female, Kate Bush-like cutesiness and airiness
Guitar Style: Classic Fripp tones and effects interspersed with Trey Gunn's Stick taps
Keyboard Style: None
Percussion Style: Tasteful modern rock kit, void of heavy handedness
Bass Style: Trey Gunn's Stick supplies the chorused up low tones
Other Instruments: None

Summary: This is the project of Fripp and wife Toyah Wilcox; it is not a completely uninteresting project. It is additionally the first collaboration between Trey Gunn and Robert Fripp. It is probably a little more interesting historically than musically. Certain questions arise, like why this album cannot be found in the discography pages of either the Gunn or Fripp websites? From a musical standpoint, the sound is very similar to the three 1980's King Crimson albums. RF's Frippertronics development can be heard throughout the album. Trey Gunn's Chapman Stick (yes, he played that before finding the Warr Guitar) adds breadth to the bass sounds. Toyah Wilcox, who had already had a very fruitful music career, chimes in with very Kate Bush- esque vocals. The similarity is not only in the vocal sound, but the lyrical themes as well. The songs are primarily short and lacking the experimentation expected from Fripp. The themes remind one of the 80's in general with such songs as Don't Take It Away and Storm Angel. Occasional unorthodox beats are encountered, but straight forward is the rule of thumb here. Humorous is the song If I Were A Man. One can't help but answer, "If you were a man? You'd be Adrian Belew".

Final Score: For a project that sounds much like 1980's King Crimson, its not as good as Discipline or 3 of a Perfect Pair, but better than Beat. Toyah Wilcox sounds too much like Kate Bush to not question Fripp's motivation. Then again, he's The Fripp, he can do whatever he wants. It is definitely cool, however, to hear his first collaboration with Trey Gunn.
3 Stars, good but not essential.

This album, Robert Fripp's second attempt at recording with his wife, Toyah Willcox, is a much more successful venture than "The Lady Or The Tiger?". It sounds very much like "Discipline"-era King Crimson, with Willcox singing beautifully in a style that falls somewhere between Kate Bush and Nina Hagen.

The band consists of Fripp, along with KC stick player Trey Gunn and drummer Paul Beavis. The music has Fripp mostly playing the same sorts of guitar patterns that he used in the 80's Crimson, with Gunn weaving the stick around them. The result again is similar to KC, but without Adrian Belew, it actually seems to have more elegance. And that works, because the best part of this album is Willcox' sexy, breathy vocals.

The best tracks? They're all very good, but I'd have to pick Strange Girls and Storm Angel as my favorites.

First listen revealed exactly what I'd hoped - this is essentially a Disccipline era King Crimson album featuring a female soprano voice. I didn't even know Fripp was married until a few weeks ago then after digging a bit further I read about this, acquired the album, and have been listening to little else since. As I age I've noticed I've been seeking out more female voices and I think in Toyah I've found a favorite. Her voice is powerful, vulnerable, and beautiful all at the same time. For Crimson and Fripp fans like myself, this is a nice addition. Toyah does another record called Ophelia's Shadow from 1991 that features Fripp and Gunn as well, I'm hoping it's as interesting as this one. The music isn't out of this world awesome and I'd rate it near the bottom of all King Crimson if this were indeed that vaunted group. Still, it's a nice find for those already initiated. "Strange Girls" is a mild annoyance, but I really like the beat and vocals on the next song, "F I Were a Man"

Recorded in 1991, Sunday All Over the World is Robert Fripp's project that he created with his wife Toyah Wilcox, who supplies the vocals for this recording. This album was recorded about the same time as the King Crimson Discipline era, and sounds very similar, so that is a great thing. Something else that the album has going for it is that Toyah sounds a lot like Kate Bush. How could you go wrong with that?

Also joining in on this album is Trey Gunn on the Chapman Stick, who also supplies the lower register vocals. Paul Beavis plays the drums. What you end up with is a very interesting sound, very much what you would expect King Crimson to sound like with a female vocalist and a lot less instrumental solos. The music is just as high quality as KC. Fripp's guitar is unmistakable, playing his unique styles and adding in Frippertronics when needed along with the fast fingered discipline style playing.

There is a good amount of variety here too. There is the upbeat and catchy sound of the title track, the slower and hesitant "Kneeling at the Shrine" which also uses some cool Kate Bush-style vocal tricks. "Don't Take It Away" has a straightforward sound with a solid beat that would have fit on any early Bush album. "Transient Joy" has a nice bright sound and Fripp uses the guitar to create an synthesizer sound and Gunn supplies the background vocals. "Strange Girl" allows Toyah to demonstrate her amazing range and at times almost operatic voice and some innovative Fripp work. "If I Were a Man" could be a possible single that would sound right at home even now in 2019.

This album is definitely something that is worth searching for if you are a King Crimson or Robert Fripp fan. Half of it is quite accessible, and the other half is a bit more experimental, but any Kate Bush or Robert Fripp fan would appreciate all of it. I don't consider it as good as most of the King Crimson or Kate Bush albums, but it is still something that makes for a good spin from time to time.