James LaBrie Static Impulse (CD, InsideOut Music, 2010) ****
Genre: Prog rock
Places I remember: Virgin Megastore, Dubai Mall
Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Invisible (Elements of Persuasion)
Gear costume: Euphoric (Static Impulse)
Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Invisible (Elements of Persuasion)
Gear costume: Euphoric (Static Impulse)
They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4
Active compensatory factors: I have written about his first album before on the blog, but way before I started my collection posts. Having just reread my notes, I stand by my earlier comments:
I really like James' first solo album - Elements of Persuasion. Only thing is it often sounds just like Dream Theater. He's drafted in some other players who sound awfully like his mates in the mothership [indeed drummer Mike Mangini would eventually end up in DT]. Why couldn't he record with them? The songs are similar - he sounds the same: no acoustic folk or jazz stylings; no urban beats or synth washes here - just great sounding prog rock.
I could add any of the solo tracks to a mix tape with Dream Theater and defy anyone to tell the difference. That's not a bad thing, just a weird thing.
I wonder what the other guys in the band thought? Or were they off doing 'their own thing' which sounds exactly like the band thing as well?
My present day thoughts on his second solo album - Static Impulse: love the cover! I like the mix of gruff metal vocals and James' more melodic deliver. I like the metallic crunch of the guitars. It presents a different look to the James LaBrie of DT, which is the point of making solo albums, I would have thought.
Where do they all belong? I have enough of this type of music in my collection. It's good to have but I don't reach for it often these days.
Where do they all belong? I have enough of this type of music in my collection. It's good to have but I don't reach for it often these days.
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