CHERRY FIVE

To my mind--and ears--these guys are great musicians crafting intricate yet beautifully melodious songs à la a cross between ELP, FOCUS, GENESIS, THE ALLMAN BROTHERS, YES and GENTLE GIANT. Great keys, great acoustic and electric guitars, great vocals (YES- and KANSAS-like harmonies, lead sounds a bit like Uriah Heep's DAVID BYRON or Grand Funk's MARK FARNER), solid bass and drumming, really tight compositions and performances. The highlights, for me, are the awesome vocals--lead and harmony. They are so well integrated with nary a wasted note or word yet are every bit as much important to their songs. Favorite song is "The Picture of Dorian Gray" with "Country Grave Yard" and "Oliver" close behind. One of my top ten all-time RPI albums.