FAST AND BLUE

Who intends to record a perfect progressive rock album unquestionably comes close to some prog paragons sooner or later. Okay, reminiscences occur here and there, however 'Fast And Blue' still leaves me amazed because of its uniqueness as a matter of fact. This is my first attempt with Lisa LaRue's projects and now I can say, it's definitely worth it to have a listen. Although the band is headed by her, this only can live from a collaboration with several prolific fellows of course. So she's proud of having guitarist Steve Adams (ARZ) and John Payne (Asia) as the co-writer/co-producer on her side.

When already producing a prog album you should also comprise one extended epic at least ... and including a short opener the following flamboyant Prometheus comes just like this. They choose a somewhat cinematic start including dramatic impressions, decent cello contributions (Mike Alvarez) and mandolin/bouzouki similar guitars. I would even dare to say that this is suitable for decorating diverse movies. Challenging ... great dynamics furthermore including alternating touches from Genesis to Dream Theater. Ryo Okumoto and Don Schiff (Rocket Scientists) contribute here and you'll find only a few moments where Lisa's synths are stepping forward into dominance really.

Totally different - on Tryptych acoustic guitar, piano and cello care for impressive profit sharing in some way, and then they provide Jam Jehan Nima - a wonderful eclectic piece of work, thus a masterpiece really, a tough case for a reviewer in the same way. Well, what can I say ... it's so tricky, featuring oriental touches, mysterious chorals, excellent guitar attendance - Flower Kings fans will be exited too. Merrill Hale, the other half of ARZ joining the lineup on drums, is on top of things here while Mitch Perry guests as for the guitar solo parts.Ruins Of Home shows some neo prog traces which remind me of Polish band Believe first of all and finally due to the catchy title track (John Payne on lead vocals) and Michael Sadler's appearance on Recurring Dreams the album ends with a softer Saga related touch.

No doubt, keyboard/synth wizard Lisa LaRue and her friends handle a wide spectrum of styles on 'Fast And Blue', reaching from eclecticism to AOR, comprising modern and 70s rooted prog elements - decorated with some sparkling jewels. The Special Edition version additionally contains a DVD (several videos) and a magazine with artwork; photos aso. I'm surprised about the compositional depth of several songs. Defiinitely not a keyboard-eccentric album, which one or two may expect probably. And all the fans of the aforementioned bands will detect something satisfying here, I'm sure - recommended by all means.