ABOVE THE STORM

I've owned this special album for years, so I was quite pleased to see that Raff had added Daniel to our site. This is Gauthier's second album and I was touched reading Raff's bio that explained how he had to quit his job as a janitor in order make "Above The Storm". What impresses me most about this recording are the lyrics, vocals and chunky bass lines. Daniel is a multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar, bass and keyboards on this album.

"Above The Storm" opens with heavy rains and thunder as synths come in.The storm stops as acoustic guitar, bass and other sounds arrive. Vocals before 2 1/2 minutes. Electric guitar and chunky bass 4 1/2 minutes in. Nice. He then brings us back to that earlier sound with vocals to end it. "Empty Space" has such a rich sound to open. Vocals join in quickly. "Evening Of A New Romance" is uptempo and i'm reminded of CAMEL when the guitar arrives. It settles some when the vocals come in. These contrasts continue. Piano, bass and drums stand out 3 minutes in. The guitar before 4 1/2 minutes is tasteful. "Quartet Solo" opens with synths before we get this nice heavy sound with the guitar lighting it up. It settles with deep bass lines and a beat. "Soft Souvinirs Of 184" is a 2 minute epic sounding track. "Real Love" features acoustic guitar melodies as vocals join in. I love how this sounds. The reserved vocals and bass are excellent. Prominant guitar 3 1/2 minutes in before we get some beautiful acoustic guitar. Vocals are back to end it.

"Silent Years" opens with drums and this all sounds so good when it kicks in. Vocals join in. Deep bass after 2 1/2 minutes when the vocals stop. It all picks up before 4 minutes. "Cross The Bridge" is the 18 minute closer. It opens with the sound of someone walking and whistling as they open a door. The bass comes in followed by a full sound. Guitar a minute in and vocals before 2 minutes. Organ after 6 1/2 minutes as bass throbs and drums pound. The guitar joins in a minute later. Expressive vocals 9 minutes in and a great sound follows a minute later. Synths and a lighter sound 11 1/2 minutes. A heavy soundscape takes over around 15 1/2 minutes.The song ends with someone walking and pouring a drink.

An enjoyable album for me from start to finish.