MULTICOLOURED SOUNDS, VOL. 2

Multicoloured Sounds Vol. 2 is a sampler compilation of six Milo Black songs that have appeared on other compilations and albums between 1991 and 2001. I'm assuming this was a sequel to the Multicoloured Sounds sampler released in 2000, but I cannot be certain of that because I don't have a copy available.

The first track is called Hate Mail (Anteater X) and appeared on a Milo Black compilation of collaborative efforts with other artists called Out of My Box (also released in 2001). It's got a nice driving guitar and bass work, and borders on a fine line between AOR and prog rock. It features Malcom Black (UVVU) on vocals and bass. Following this is the 10+ minute, two-part Eternal Man, featuring Dominic Crane on vocals. Crane's voice sounds a little like Kelly Groucutt (former ELO bassist), at least that's what I think. Musically, it's comparable to Marillion (post-Fish), mostly for the guitar work. However, I find it somewhat bland and think it would have been better as an instrumental.

The next track is a hilarious country-folk tune featuring Duane Tate on vocals. This song originally appeared on an album by Miles Walsh and Duane Tate (under the name Grumpy and Lumpy) called Dog Rock (released in 2001). From the title, you can guess what it's about. It's quite a departure from other work Walsh has done and kind of an oddity compared to other Milo Black compositions. Following this is The Arch, a nice mellow instrumental with lush synthesizers very reminiscent of Vangelis. It's simply a beautiful song. This track would eventually end up as part of Milo Black's Ringworld album of 2003.

The fifth track is another instrumental called Random Walk. This was recorded in 1992 and ended up on Milo Black's BlackTracking compilation of 2000. This is another beautiful song with influences from Camel, Eloy, and Marillion present. Walsh's guitar work seems to be inspired by both Andrew Latimer and Steve Rothery. The final track, Under the Waterfall, features the vocals of Kim Novak. Although the insert indicates this song would be released on Milo Black's Ringworld album, it never happened. Instead, this song would later appear on Raspberry Silk's Inner Voices album of 2002. Raspberry Silk was the name of a collaborative project between Miles Walsh and Kim Novak. Novak has a very lovely voice who can deliver both a beautiful and powerful performance. It features some gentle acoustic guitar, with Milo Black's usual synth backgrounds, topped off with a soaring guitar solo.

Overall, a nice compilation, but with a somewhat inconsistent and odd selection of material. Still, I very much enjoyed this. Enough for three stars. Good, but not essential.