MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER

Here we have the third album by Dutch multi-instrumentalist Ruud Dielen, who has yet again provided all the instrumentation apart from the drums (Kike Paglia) and some vocals, although this time he has wisely brought in Frank van der Borg who provides vocals on one track and Celia van Onna who provides them on three. Given my major issue on 'Zodiac' were the vocals, this is something I definitely agree with. ProgArchives have determined this as being crossover prog, and given I was on the team when he was approved, I must concur, but this is crossover in the sense that he is crossing multiple genres and bringing them together as opposed to the defined crossover genre itself.

By far the most important instrument here is Ruud's wonderfully melodic guitar which can be very Gilmour-ish at times, while at others it is far more direct. This is an album where the music style can almost be defined by a decade, as this is loaded with the Seventies throughout with Ruud providing a masterclass in how to wring emotion from six strings. Following on from Frank's growly vocals on opener "Repentance" we move into the first of three instrumentals, "Slow Down". There are chunks of this which are pure Floyd, while at times we are thrown into the realms of psychedelia. One becomes transfixed at what is taking place, and to say I am surprised that Ruud has produced such a wonderful release with his third album is something of an understatement. Wherever one looks there are touches of real quality, whether it is the fretless bass here, the powering drumming there, the acoustic making an entrance in that place, all brought together with powerful use of melody and never overplaying.

The result is a highly effective and enjoyable release which is a great introduction to Ruud Dielen, and given the step change from his last album it will be interesting to see what the next one brings. This is Seventies rock containing plenty prog elements, and is one I thoroughly enjoyed.