The Dream opens up Guy Manning’s new CD A Matter Of Life and Death. It has an Alan Parsons sort of rhythm section that makes me think of Turn Of A Friendly Card. As someone who has not heard lots of Guy Manning before this, it took me awhile to decide what the vocals remind me of. Finally it hit me, Ian Anderson from the “Broadsword” era. Not to say the music reminds me of this, but you can really hear Anderson in these vocals. The Dream is a good way to kick off a CD. It almost acts like an overture with lyrical themes that will be reused throughout the album. Ian Fairbain and Tim Moon add nice Violin and Cello (respectively) to this song. The strings really fill out the song. The Moog (played by Andy Tillison) is the touch that makes this song work.
A Spanish guitar opens track 2 “Nobody’s Fool”. I have seen others describe this as ‘Songwriter’ prog. This song is a prime example. The song would fit on an old 70s Eric Anderson album, but since it is the real introduction to the hero of the story, it works more like the first “solo” in a musical. I have become a huge fan of Rick Ashton’s bass playing and this song misses it. I do not see where anybody is playing a reed instrument so someone did an amazing job with the syth-programming because I swear there is a clarinet solo in this song.
The third song “Omens” gets us back to rock, and either Mr. Manning’s guitar or Gareth Haywood have a Gilmour-type line going through the intro, but then seem to disappear for most of the song, playing just a few fills here and there. Another resemblance to the singer / songwriter style of not clouding the vocals with too much background instrumentation. This is a great melodic tune with a catchy chorus.
“River of Time” takes us back to a mellower place. This is Laura Fowles’ best background vocals. She adds a perfect haunting element to compliment the acoustic guitar work. This song is crying out for a Tillison counter melody running off and deflecting the main theme. The piano solo in the middle is a good example, but acts as a bridge instead of a counter melody. The strongest point of this song is the lyrics. Concept or no-concept, treating time like a tangible being that “feeds on emotion, demands our devotion, and sucks all our innocence dry” leaves you a little haunted.
After “River of Time” I was hoping that Track 5 “Silent Man” would be a play on words, and I was right. Very little silent about this as Guy breaks out the Mandolin and Rick Ashton walks the bass up and down the verses. My third favorite song on the CD. I have no idea how this song fits into the story line, but hey, I usually miss that point anyway. This song has another vocal section that reminds me of Ian Anderson (“Heavy Horses”, singing over the fiddle of Fairbairn). You will sing along with this song after only the first listen.
I was hoping the rock would continue with “Falling Down? Rising Up!” But was not so rewarded. But Mr. Manning knew what he was doing with another surprise waiting. The songwriter prog vein re-introduces itself and we put away the fiddle and bass and are treated to a pretty piano driven song. As the name implies it really is a two part song where the lament of ones mistakes dominates the first part and the resurrection of purpose closes it out. A serious Jazz baseline drives the song into part 2. The sax work of Fowles also lends to the Jazz feel of Rising Up. This still is a keyboard (Piano and Electric Keys) driven song but the jazz feel made me hit replay as it slipped back into the slower part of the song for closing.
Song 7 “Life’s Disguises” could of replaced One White Duck off of Minstrel In the Gallery and no one would of known the difference. The playing, the singing, the lyrics, everything reminded me of acoustic Tull.
The “proggiest” song appears in “Out Of My Life”. I know it just typed it, but I have no idea what that means. It just feels like what I like in my progressive rock. From the Floyd sax opening, to the power lyrics of the intro, to the keyboards taking over and having both a melody and counter melody going on. The bass work again is impressive. By far my favorite track on this CD.
Mr. Manning saves the biggest surprise for last. After the fun song of “Out Of My Life”, we’re given a classic AOR rock and roll song. It really reminds me of Fish’s Internal Exile where you are surprised to hear Something “In The Air”. “Out Of My Life” is a great song though, but just a surprise. It makes you think Guy and the Band could do anything they wanted to and make great music out of it.
If you are looking for The Tangent or other such prog-CDs that Mr. Manning has performed on, you might be a little disappointed. If you are looking for song-based music that has enough twists to keep you interested for almost an hour, than this is the perfect CD. It is hard to give an x out of 10 since nobody really knows what that means anyway. Let me give you my rating system. This CD will probably be in the top 20 replays this year (of the 1000+ CDs I own). That ought to tell you how much I like it.
Great work Mr. Manning.
Member:
Duncan Glenday
(Profile)
(All Album Reviews by Duncan Glenday)
Date:
1/9/2005
Format:
CD (Album)
Style : Symphonic Progressive RockSummary : A subtle mix of sounds, richly textured song structures, and very memorable melodies.Modern recording techniques make it easy for one-man-bands to produce CDs that sound - for all the world - like a multi-part ensemble. But they usually lack the depth that comes from the multiplicity of personalities, influences and inputs that comes from a real band.Well Arjen Lucassen, Neal Morse and Guy Manning are making it clear that wonderful results can be produced from one man's vision and control, but by also enlisting a group of deeply talented artists whose contribution elevate the music to a higher level. The core band of Manning, Laura Fowles, Gareth Harwood and Rick Ashton have been together for two previous CDs, and some members go further back; and the depth that they and the 5 guest artists bring into the recording is invaluable.The music on A Matter Of Life & Death ranges from progressive folk through '70s-Styled symphonic-progressive, modern hard-edged rock, singer-songwriter ... and there's even some rather heavy pure jazz. That variety may lead you to fear that the music would be all over the map, but rest assured - although Manning delivers a good range of sounds, it's a very cohesive piece that revolves around the story hinted by the subtitle 'The Journal Of Abel Mann'. This character was introduced in previous Manning albums, and here we find him in apparently writing poignant memoirs on the successes and failures of his life and his relationships. Manning's lyrics are more intelligent than most in today's progressive music, and the heartfelt prose is perfectly matched to the music. I would have liked a summary of the story in the cover booklet, though.If you can imagine an early '80s era accoustic Jethro Tull in the without the cynicism, you'll have a good idea of some of the songs and all of the vocals. Guy's voice has a rich mid-ranged timbre, and his The singing is very up-front in the mix and there aren't many long instrumental sections, so this record is defined, in large measure, by the vocals and the prose.The song that will appeal to most prog fans is probably the 9-minute mini-epic "Out Of My Life". This mostly instrumental piece is rich in Laura Fowles' wonderful sax, which lend the music an air of mature credibility with its VdGG references. Another standout is "River Of Time". This soft melodic piece revolves around Guy's fat-sounding twelve-string guitar which supports Laura Fowles' whisper-soft and very feminine background vocals, while the rich but understated keys, the gentle bass and occasional high-register synth motifs build an elegant, introspective piece that segues nicely into "Silent Man", a more folk-rock oriented piece with fiddle and mandolin."Falling Down? Rising Up!" is interesting in that it switches over to pure jazz about half way through, and for about 4 minutes there's an upbeat bass/drum loop with Guy playing piano - positively smashing the keys in a series of staccato chords - then trading the limelight with the sax, Hammond, and vocal choruses.The production and mixing are exemplary, and the cover art by Ed Unitsky is excellent and we should look out for future artwork by this talented artist whose illustrations have also enhanced albums by The Tangent and The Flower Kings. This is Manning's sixth solo album since 1999. In that time he's also worked on parallel Or 90 degrees, two acclaimed The Tangent CDs, and with La Voce Del Vento on one (soon two, we understand) Colossus 'Spahgetti Epic' projects.The depth of his experience and creativity is clearly evident on this CD whose strongest points are the subtle mix of sounds, the richly textured song structures, and above all, the memorable melodies with hooks that sink in so deep that this CD will be in constant rotation in many collections. Highly recommended.With its subtle mix of sounds, the richly textured song structures, and above all, the memorable melodies with hooks that sink in so deep, A Matter Of Life & Death is a fine body of work and is highly recommended.Now imagine what guy could do if he were to add more singers to his projects, Ayreon-style!
Member:
daddysangbassdude
(Profile)
(All Album Reviews by daddysangbassdude)
Date:
7/22/2005
Format:
CD (Album)
I don't remember how long ago it's been since I received this CD, but it's been more than long enough to give it a fair listen. Unfortunately, this CD is not one that I feel I can recommend with glowing remarks. Manning is a fine multi-instrumentalist, and he obviously knows how to write some well-crafted songs lyrically and musically.
What I have a hard time getting through in this, my own personal introduction to Manning's music, is the vocal style. Does Manning intentionally sing in a style eerily similar to Ian Anderson in the heyday of Jethro Tull in terms of tone, phrasing and emotion, or is it just pure coincidence?
It's a little too close of a copy to make it a comfortable fit for me. If I want to listen to Ian Anderson, I'll listen to a Tull album. The songs here are definitely original. Yet, somehow, as I listen to Manning I'm left with the feeling that I'm listening to some kind of Tull tribute CD with all-new songs instead of Tull classics. To me, it's an odd feeling.
Stick with the solid instrumentation and fine songwriting, Mr. Manning, but in order to have a unique voice I'd recommend letting someone else handle the vocals.
