Reading the guests of the first album 'New Life' from Argentina 'Gabriel Agudo', it is a prestigious sample of artists from the progressive scene who parade with 'Steve Rothery', guitarist of 'Marillion' and leader of the 'Steve Rothery Band' ('Gabriel Agudo' is the singer) and names like 'Dave Kerzner' or 'Clive Nolan' but also classical artists with the conductor 'René Bosc' and the pianist 'Heiner Scob'. The album was already released a few months ago, but gradually revealed itself as and when listening, the 6 titles which compose it each having their own personality (actually 7 but the last one being the long version of the first ‘Free as a Bird’). Overall, the style is an inventive and sought-after progressive rock with long developments and the different projects of the guests mentioned above are a good benchmark for the listener to have a good idea of the atmospheres deployed.
'Free as a Bird' which begins the album is a magnificent, melancholic and introspective title in which Gabriel speaks of his mother who died of Alzheimer's disease and who has a heady refrain which can recall the melodic lines of the well known 'With Without You' from 'U2' in a much slower tempo, then, 'Karmatic' contains everything you want to find in a progressive title : an alternation between different atmospheres, a fair balance between the sung and instrumental parts and a musical research which embarks you on a journey filled with beautiful surprises successively recalling the atmospheres of formations like 'Arena', 'Marillion' or 'Genesis' to name just three and which offers us a magnificent classical piano performance of 'Heiner Scob'. With, 'Angel's Call', I have the impression of listening to 'Mystery', this title offering multiple parts and alternating aerial and intense atmospheres, and the eponymous title of the album re-embarks us for 9 minutes of incredible musical density, starting with a sustained rhythm with the keyboards of 'Clive Nolan' playing cat and mouse with the singing of 'Gabriel Agudo', then having an instrumental part in which keyboards and violins twirl happily and which falls back into the second part of the title in a gentle and serene way, with first the flute and the piano and then the guitar of 'Steve Rothery' which accompany Gabriel's singing to finish on a magnificent decrescendo. After the short piano interlude 'Awakening' by 'Heiner Scob', 'Shining Spark' is a more classic ballad but which, for me, offers the most beautiful vocal performance of 'Gabriel' in this album, filled with emotion at every moment, then, the nearly 18-minute long version of 'Free as a Bird' closes the album in a much more progressive structure in which the instrumental parts take a prominent place with an important place for the violin of 'Hélène Collerette' which increase the emotional cursor thanks to a wonderful interpretation and : simply beautiful.
In summary, 'Gabriel Agudo', well accompanied by a skewer of very good artists, released a first album of remarkable density that requires lingering if we want to get all the richness and, therefore, will be reserved for an audience of progressive music who takes their time to discover a work little by little, listening after listening... | |
