MOONLIGHT SKY

The line-up for the follow up to the promising debut has stayed mostly the same, save for the new drummer, but he seems to have gotten into the role without any hitch. This stability has obviously born fruit because we can see a band that has gone forward and created a much more mature product than on their first try.

This effort is even more eclectic than the first album. The music goes through several styles (classical, jazz rock, hard rock, world music, eastern influences, soul, blues, etc.) and the guys effortlessly combine these styles as well. This gives them a sense of originality as a progressive band because it shows they're willing to explore new territories. They seem more convincing as a progressive band because of this. All of this sounds wonderful in theory, but for me the biggest proof that I Am is a great album is that I actually felt shivers down my spine on more than one occasion. This was mostly during the great guitar and keyboard passages and to my surprise also during some vocal parts as well.

The ability of the musicians has never been a problem, not even on the first album. They're all great players. The keyboard players shows a vast array of knowledge and a huge choice of sounds, the guitarist excels both on electric and acoustic guitar, while the rhythm section is none the worse with the new drummer. I also enjoy the imaginative use of some guest musicians on strings, woodwinds and vocals. The strings and vocals are particularly effective.

The biggest problem on the previous release was the vocal department. I don't know how Andraz Krzic did it, but the vocals seem to come from a different singer this time round. He does really well on the heavier passages, where his voice is strained and on the calmer segments as well. He actually sounds like he belongs behind the microphone.

Moonlight Sky have made a vast improvement from the self-titled album with I Am. All the major issues seemed to have been addressed, particularly the vocals and this seems like a work of a really mature band. I Am shows that Moonlight Sky is a band that's capable of really good music. The progress from the debut is remarkable and if they continue on this path we could have a true Slovenian gem of progressive music on our hands in a few years. Well done guys! I'm glad I didn't have to write a negative review again.

The band members had been playing together for some time before they went into the studio. They were already a highly regarded live act. There was only a question if they could reproduce their live dexterity and energy on a studio album. My answer would be yes. They managed to combine their many influence, yet still were able to keep a unique sound of their own.

Moonlight Sky obviously has many influences ranging from Santana, Jimmy Hendrix, Pink Floyd, to lesser known Yugoslavian bands like Leb i Sol. They combine elements of jazz, hard rock, space rock, Balkan folk, funk and classical music. Sometimes these influences are merged together within a single song, while at other times (more often) individual songs are representative of a certain style. In such fashion, songs like "Lunin Svit", "Angel" and "Rigg's Family Shot" belong more to classic hard rock with bluesy undertones, while songs like "Devet Osem", "Pluton" and "Stirje Svetovi" are firmly rooted in jazz-rock. "Ocean" is a space rock song that is reminiscent of Pink Floyd and Eloy in their best days. While these songs stick to mostly a single style, there is always a sense of jazz leanings within the band. Whenever they can, they go into fusion mode and I think it is at those moments that they are at their best. I would also say that "Ocean" is a beautiful song that evokes the magic of an ocean very precisely.

Moonlight Sky is a band that excels in long instrumental passages. They do have a vocalist (also the keyboard player), who is not the best in his field (not bad, just nothing special), but the vocals are rare and subdued, so whatever problem with the sung parts, isn't much of an issue.

As I've already stated Moonlight Sky are best when they play instrumental segments. Their various influences make them a band that one doesn't tire of very quickly. It is nice to see that in my country, which is sorely lacking in interesting prog music, a new band has finally emerged that appears to have all the qualities of a great band. I look forward to the upcoming releases.

"I Am" is Moonlight Sky's second album. The first one was a great breakthrough, though it has some flaws, especially vocals, which is quite false. I can't say that in this case. Andra? Kr?ič had somekind of stroke or something, because his singing improved 100%. Though most of it is electronically modified, and their livep layings of these songs have little or no vocals. The vocal part is being played by a fantastic guitarist, one of the best I've ever seen, Miha Petric. He has quite a unique technique, fingers only, but it is so much more, so watch some of their live footage on youtube.

"I Am" has everything for everyone; Some Floyds, some Crimson, some of Al di Meola's guitar magic, but all in all, they are quite unique. And in a good way. I can without doubt say that "I Am" is one of the best progressive rock records in Slovenia's (and Yogoslavia's) history. It is definitely the best since Slovenia's independence in 1991. I can't say I have favourites, because the whole album is, well, simply a masterpiece. The peak is, in my opinion, the fifth song, "One Day One Night", but that's just me. Kinda neo-symphonic prog piece, if that makes sense. But really, you oughta listen to this album.