THE POWER OF SUGGESTION

Kevin Gilbert was one of those up and coming stars whose light was dimmed way too early as he died at the age of 29. Best known for his solo works with 'The Shaming Of The True' perhaps the most successful, Gilbert started out in a band called NRG (No Reason Given) and then moved on to another band GIRAFFE which released two independent albums before he moved on to his solo career.

As a Bay Area native, Gilbert formed GIRAFFE in Sunnyvale, CA in the mid-80s and released two albums, this debut THE POWER OF SUGGESTION and the following 'The View From Here.' Gilbert first caught the music world's attention with GIRAFFE which won an international talent contest sponsored by Yamaha in 1988, the year the second album was released which led him to Los Angeles and a relationship with Sheryl Crow.

On this debut album GIRAFFE exists in the strange blurry world between 80s synthpop and progressive rock. On the surface THE POWER OF SUGGESTION seems to fit in quite well in the synthpop dominated 80s with not only one but three keyboardists that crank out synth-laden melodies with the extra heft of guitar, bass and what sounds like programmed drums. Compositionally though, the tracks were a bit more sophisticated than say Duran Duran or A Flock of Seagulls that teased their post-punk angst into highly accessible chunks.

Overall GIRAFFE comes off as somewhat of an anomaly for the era. While certain parts sound like the funkier synthpop of 70s Stevie Wonder with George Michael sounding vocals, the music has more nuances than the standard top 40 hits of the day. If i had to compare to any one band of the era, i would say the intricate keyboard and rhythmic workouts remind me most of Level 42. The music is filled with sophisticated keyboard riffs, guitar power chords and ridiculously catchy melodic flows.

Each track has its own distinct feel but not all are created equal. Some provide a more bombastic touch as on 'Image Maker' with a dominant guitar heft while others like 'Because of You' exercise a more new romantic approach but also dish out a cheesy dose of canned drumbeats, Trevor Horn production values and overall 80s synthpop overkill. While i commend Gilbert for taking the music to another level of sophistication, the truth is that these sorts of synthpop sound best as simple catchy no nonsense pop.

Despite the awkward feel to the music presented here, it's actually not that bad. It retains the catchy hooks that 80s synthpop dished out in abundance while latching on to some of the progressive contemporary touches laid down by neo-prog but in the end this will probably come off as way to pop oriented for prog rock lovers and too pompous for simple pop followers. For me it's not that this combo effect should be taboo as i love such unorthodox behaviors. In the end it just isn't compelling enough to get really excited about. So in the end, this is not a bad album but neither is it a great one. So it exists somewhere in between.