ON DRY LAND

3,5 stars, really. I was impressed enough by Nive Beaver´s second CD Oregon, to go looking for their debut and see if it was as powerful. Fortunatly my hopes were fullfilled. This dutch quartet´s first release called On Dry Land is almost as good as its follow up. Like that album their sound is very hard to compare, being influenced by soul, funk and hard rock as much as symphonic prog of the 70´s. The music is never predictable, with time signatures and shifting moods while the funky bass, the soulful vocals and bluesy guitar all blend to make a very interesting and unique result. A curious mix of Genensis and Traffic, if such a thing could happen.

Anyway, the CD is very good. The more I hear the more I like it and certainly those guys have the knack for writing memorable, fine tunes with one foot in the early 70´s prog rock field.. The production on the other hand is very modern and clear. There are no fillers and all the musicians are very competent. A very interesring album by a very interesting band. If you´re a lover of the early 70´sprog rock or want to hear something different drm today´s run of mill prog, this is surely a good pick. Recommended.