THIS

If there is one word that perfectly and terribly applies to this album, it would be "contentious". Its negative connotation applies to all the prog purists who hold staunch feelings that prog must contain odd time signatures, dissonance, and long winding passages of technical noodliness -- none of which will be found on this album. On the other hand, contention is more a sign of progress than anything else and in this era of increasing contrivition, doing something unexpected is always a good thing.

The members of Valdez have all proven their chops in previous prog outfits and while they are able to play circles around many other musicians, they choose to show their prowess in their restraint. What you will find on this album are carefully crafted melodies delivered in earnest over lush musical arrangements, performed with just the right amount of verve to keep it flowing. There is lots of space to breathe, evocative harmony, and poetry galore, devoid of the overt pompous bombast that turns beauty to gaud.

This is an excellent crossover album for any lover of meticulously crafted prog-pop tinged music. Solid 4-stars.