Beekstraat 1 - B-2640 Mortsel - Belgium

ROINE STOLT – Wall Street Voodoo

Release

Style

www.flowerkings.se

CD1: 61’40”, CD2: 53’24”

Roine Stolt and Neal Morse are back together on this double solo album of the founding Flower Kings guitarist. So are we in for a new Transatlantic type of music? No, far from it, because Roine has put together a collection of groovy blues, funk and soul tracks that are a reflection of his roots and influences from the Sixties and Seventies. Roine: “A conjuration of the memory of former greats Peter Green, Jimi Hendrix, Robin Trower and Frank Zappa. The album recalls the musical feel of such acts as The Allman Brothers, Cream, The Beatles, Procol Harum, as well as newer contemporaries Don Henley, Prince or Steely Dan”.

16 of the grooviest tracks you’ve ever heard with the emphasis on blues rock. I’m not into blues and I usually don’t get to the end of a blues album without being bored but this double album grabs my attention from the beginning till the end. Roine and Neal’s voices complement each other perfectly and are also perfect for this kind of music.

If you look at the line-up of this band, you’ll find a few odd names like Slim Pothead, Victor Woof and Gonzo Geffen. This looks like the use of fake names on the Swedish Family album by Tomas Bodin as a joke. But this time, apparently there are no Flower Kings members involved. On the TFK mailing list, people started guessing and Roine told them that the musicians weren’t even coming from the progscene. They are known musicians who can’t give their real names because of other musical obligations. Strange, isn’t it? I wonder if we ever get to know their real names.
Also this album is the first appearance of new Flower Kings drummer Marcus Lilliequist, because Roine had never heard him before the recording of this CD. Roine said in an interview that this was his audition with The Flower Kings.

So, it has become an album loaded with great blues guitar work by Roine and some fabulous Hammond organ playing by Neal. It’s almost impossible to tell you how every track sounds, but I can ensure you that every track covers a blues style that you will recognize from somewhere. The album contains mostly long tracks with lots of Hammond and long guitar solos. And I don’t want to disappoint the progfans completely, because there is a Flower Kings sound hanging around (Once a Roine, always a Roine) and it’s just that extra touch that lifts this blues album to a higher level.

My favourite tracks are “The Observer”, which could have come from “Stardust We Are”, “Everyone Wants to Rule the World”, with a really catchy chorus, “Sex Kills”, a cover of a Joni Mitchell song, “Spirit of the Rebel”, the heaviest blues track and “Everybody is Trying to Sell you Something”, very funky and very Prince. Maybe the prog fan in me comes to the surface after all, because I now see that I picked the most ‘proggy’ tracks.

This album scores very low on the progscale and will only appeal to bluesfans and fans of The Flower Kings but maybe you should try it out, because there’s only one word for it that could replace this whole review: Groovy!!!!!!

Musicians

Roine Stolt: Vocals, Electric and Acoustic Guitar
Hass Bruniusson: Percussion
Gonzo Geffen: Congas & Percussion
Marcus Lillequist: Drums
Neal Morse: Lead Vocals, Hammond Organ
Slim Pothead: Wurlize Piano, Mini Moog, Hammond Organ
Victor Woof: Bass

CD 1:

1.The Observer 11:05
2.Head Above Water 5:25
3.Dirt 8:15
4.Everyone Wants To Rule The World 4:05
5.Spirit Of The Rebel 6:10
6.Unforgiven 3:00
7.Dog With A Million Bones 8:10
8.Sex Kills 7:20
9.Outcast 7:50

CD 2:

1.The Unwanted 9:00
2.Remember 6:55
3.It's All About Money 8:05
4.Everybody Is Trying To Sell You Something 6:55
5.Hotrod ( The Atomic Wrestler) 9:10
6.Mercy 2:40
7.People That Have The Power To Shape The Future 11:05

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Last updated: 23 oktober 2005 .
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