New Album - Flying Colors

AsSiMiLaTeD

Flying Colors is a prog rock band consisting of Neal Morse, Steve Morse, Mike Portnoy, Dave laRue and Casey McPherson. People like to call these bands supergroups, I don't like that term but these guys are all some of the best in the industry at what they each do.

It's hard to categorize this album, prog rock is such a wide category. I'd say this album is a mix of progressive rock and progressive pop, if the latter is actually a category. I could compare it to something like TransAtlantic, but if you've heard that before then you probably already have the album here, so that's not very useful.

I don't have the time or command of the English language needed to write one of those long winded wordsmithy reviews with all those fancy words and hyperbole that us music nerd types like to write, but here's a short review:

Alot of times these 'supergroups' end up being flops (think Chickenfoot), where the sum ends up being less than the individual parts. Such is not the case with this album, the output from this group of musicians is fantastic. The collaboration really seems to bring out the best in each musician. Neal is always a creative genius, Steve is just unreal on guitar (shame he's not better known) and it's ncie to see Portnoy back in a progressive setting after all the A7X and Adrenaline Mob stuff, this is the best work he's done in years.

As with most albums there are a couple song I'm not in love with but as a whole this is an excellent album, and one I can tell will grow on me more as I listen. Of the 50 or so albums I've bought in the last year or so this is in the top 3 probably.

heiney9

Chickenfoot was excellent.

agfrost

heiney9 wrote: »

Chickenfoot was excellent.

Not wordsmithy enough!


Thanks for the review, Assimilated.

AsSiMiLaTeD

I found the Chickenfoot album to be incredibly bland, I thought that was the general consensus but I could be mistaken. To hear that album and hear absolutely no influence by Satriani was very dissapointing for me. I'd wanted to hear how he sounded in a more mainstream group and he basically just dissapeared.

Probably not fair to call them a flop, but clearly you had a member of the band (who's arguably the most musically talented) who didn't contribute much to the final product and it was dissapointing, at least for me.

That's typically what ends up happening with these types of collaborations, you either have a guy or two who just fade into the background or you get guys that just don't click. My point was that this isn't the case with these guys, they all contribute and bring out the best in each other.

heiney9

I don't have the Chickenfoot cd, I saw a concert on Palladia and I thought they were excellent. I admit to not being a huge follower of Satriani, just not my style (atleast his solo stuff) But I agree, these collaborations rarely turn out "off the hook". One that was a disappointment mostly because I don't like Glenn Hughe's voice is Black Country Communion. Glenn Hughes, Derek Sherinian, Joe Bonamassa, Jason Bonham. I have the cd, which is horribly recorded and I saw the concert on Palladia. It was a disappointment because I like Joe Bonamassa and Jason Bonham.

H9

decal

I usually like anything Steve Morse plays on a lot, this one not so much.

AsSiMiLaTeD

The recording quality on this album does leave a lot to be desired.

gudnoyez

So is this a Dixie Dregs, meets Transatlantic, meets Spocks Beard, meets Dream Theater? I listened to a few clips and you can tell who the drummer is for sure, I like Steve Morse and the dregs a lot and Dream Theater. I didnt get into Spocks Beard all that much, I just might add this to the cart next time.

AsSiMiLaTeD

It's got influence from everywhere really. You can tell the songwriting is Neal for the most part because of how the songs are composed, you can hear some early Dream Theater in the drumming and you definitely know Steve Morse when the guitar work kicks in.

You don't get any real sense of what the album is like by listening to the clips, especially the random crap that Amazon pulls. For a half second before my better judgement kicked in I almost didn't buy this based on the clips I heard, glad I didn't make that stupid mistake.

decal

^^^^ scumbag spammer reported ^^^^

Toolfan66

Chickenfoot is Awesome IMHO..

decal

^^^^ post #12 scumbag spammer reported ^^^^