I was going to review the CD myself, but upon coming across the one below by
Bob Mulvey, it summed up my thoughts perfectly, so I figured, I'd go ahead and include his review here...bottom line, it's definitely worth tracking down, however, you might want to wait for the Japanese release at the end of month, as it includes some extra video footage of
Glenn on it's
Bonus Disc.....
read on..... [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]
Tracklist:Godzilla vs King Ghidarah
(7:18), The Farther He Goes, The Farther He Falls
(5:43), Slipping Down
(5:57), Highway Roller
(4:04), Free Fall
(4:03), Coming Through
(5:21), Close Enough
(18:57), The Imperial
(5:19)
Ryo Okumoto is best known to progressive fans for his keyboard skills with
Spock's Beard, and probably less for his solo works and numerous session and guest appearances. Ryo has an impressive portfolio of credits to his name having worked with and among others,
Phil Collins,
Eric Clapton and
Natalie Cole to mention a just a few. Along with these he has been involved with
Bobby Kimball, Steve Lukather and
Simon Phillips from
Toto, all of whom contribute to this album. And the list of guest musicians to be found on
Coming Through does not stop here, as Ryo is not only joined by fellow
Spock's Beard musicians, but also guitarist
Michael Landau and The Voice,
Glenn Hughes.
So we have an impressive cast, what will the album have to offer, was the burning question as the CD went into the player. What did cross my mind was that like many solo projects, especially those that feature the entirety of the current band, is that it ends up sounding like a variation on the same theme. The other option, is that it might follow in the footsteps of
Neal Morse's last solo album, which contained many excellent tracks, but had little to do with prog. As it was, neither scenario was true, and what emanated from my CD player was both interesting and refreshing.
The opening instrumental
Godzilla vs King Ghidarah began "progressively" enough with a low droning bass synth note accompanied by an atmospheric rising string section. However this gave no indication as to what was to follow, as a bold jazz-rock fusion track emerged, with
Simon Phillips on the kit and
Dave Carpenter on double bass. The piece moved with great pace and gave rise to numerous solo sections from all concerned. What was nice was the variation in texture created by the keyboards, as Ryo employed piano, synthesizer and the Hammond organ to change the mood and intensity of the piece. An unexpected but a great opener.
The tempo drops down as
Nick D'Virgilio grooves in with a track not only written by him, but on this occasion taking on the vocal task as well.
The Farther He Goes, The Farther He Falls has a "smoky" bar room feel, full of highs and lows as the track moves through a verse chorus arrangement. The strong and close harmony vocal sections within the powerful chorus', brought to mind the recent album by
Jelly Jam featuring
Ty Tabor. The icing on the cake was the solo section from
Steve Lukather, as the track moves into overdrive towards the end.
Slipping Down glides in nicely from the previous track in this very
Toto like song. Hardly surprising as
Bobby Kimball's distinct voice, coupled with the close harmony vocals, is so reminiscent of their style and a credit here to the writing from both Okumoto and Neal Morse. Think
Toto with a slightly harder edged, but still with that polished rock-funk feel and you've got it, even down to the brass section.
As with the two previous songs, the tracks flow well into each other and give the album continuity and this is the case again as we rock into
Highway Roller. Step forward
Glenn Hughes into the vocal zone with his fine, distinct voice and add
Steve Lukather on guitar for what is a powerful rock blues track. Mention here of
Sage Okumoto, son of Ryo, showing a maturity beyond his years as he takes on the drum mantle and acquitting himself well, in this assembled field of percussion men.
Free Fall gives us our second instrumental from
Coming Through, and a track that takes us to the more progressive roots of Ryo Okumoto. Similar in some respects to the opening track, with a leaning here to rock fusion side, however this time around more riff orientated and featuring
Alan Morse [guitar],
Dave Meros [bass] and
Nick D'Virgilio [drums]. Well with this line-up the music surely must reflect
Spock's Beard, and so it does.
The CD has shown a strong balance and flow, an aspect often over-looked, or perhaps not fully appreciated and so important when trying to retain the interest of the listener from the beginning to end. So far, the contrasting styles within the music have melded the tracks well together, and there is little indication that these pieces have been written at different times or performed by different artists. The album then moves to the moment where things need to be taken down and here the gentle piano and strings move us into the title track
Coming Through, with Neal Morse lending his distinct voice to the proceedings. A track that could so easily have fitted onto Neal's last solo album
It's Not too Late, with its infectious melodies and strong chorus sections. Initially with only sparse instrumentation, careful use of space and rising vocal intensity
Coming Through serves not only as a warming interlude but acts as calming moment before the epic proportions of
Close Enough.
By far the largest track from the album and features by far the largest collection of musicians used on the album, well almost.
Close Enough is an epic piece and represents the most progressive track from
Coming Through. At just under nineteen minutes it would be difficult, if not impossible, to run through the full song in one paragraph - so this brief synopsis is intended merely to capture your interest. After the opening atmospherics provided by the keyboards and sparse percussion, is a gentle organ passage gradually building in intensity. What is wonderful here is the driving Hammond organ, a sort of
Jon Lord and
Keith Emerson rolled into one riff, that follows. This then gives way to
Bobby Kimball flexing his vocal chords, in a powerful AOR verse and chorus section, before the track mellows out - initially with the vocals and then launching into an extended and impressive organ solo section. There are so many highlights to be found in this track, with such a distinctly live feel to it and again as the piece unfolds the organ raises its head interspersed with Simon Phillips' magical drumming. This was definitely a track very reminiscent of
Spock's Beard in a concert environment. If I were able to offer any changes here, it would have been to prolong that great driving "Hammond organ keyboard riff".
After the excesses of
Coming Through it was somewhat difficult to imagine what might be a fitting ending to the album. But there was to be one more pleasant surprise as the notes rang out from the piano, in a beautifully written piece from Ryo Okumoto. This evocative offering, constructed entirely from multi-layered keyboard parts, blending the classical, played on the concert grand piano (perhaps) and the contemporary represented by the airy synthesizer parts. Along with this is a multi-layered keyboard ensemble made up from lush strings, traditional orchestral sounds and choral effects. A melancholic tune that flowed and ebbed - really you've just got to hear it to appreciate it.
So at this point it is customary to summarize the above - but my considered opinion would be to go and buy the CD. OK! Of note, the European and Japanese releases will be a double CD, the second of which containing film footage of the making of
Coming Through and a pictorial history of Ryo Okumoto. Plus, should you be fortunate enough to purchase the album in Japan (on the
Cool Sound, Inc. label) there is a bonus track, an electric bass version of
Godzilla vs King Ghidarah - now that I would like to hear. Also included will be commentaries from Ryo and some of the guest musicians including
Glenn Hughes, Steve Lukather, Bobby Kimball and
Simon Phillips. And....comments from Ryo himself,
Natalie Cole and
Kiataro!! The Japanese edition will be released
November 25th, 2002 with a slightly different CD cover (
see below).
Linear Mode
