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Lonely Heart ” to the top of the charts remains in place . The palette is simply broader . Rabin takes an “ anything goes ” approach that is rooted in melodic rock but includes excursions into pop , progressive , blues , country , orchestral , and jazz . The anthemic chorus to first single “ Big Mistakes ” rides a crashing guitar riff reminiscent of David Gilmour ’ s “ All Lovers are Deranged ” and alternates with a sparkling , psychedelic verse melody that draws from classic pop sources including the Beatles and Argent , while echoing Jefferson Starship ’ s “ Find Your Way Back .” Rabin ’ s adventurous solo has a buzzsaw tone that could cut steel . The nostalgic song recalls mistakes made as a brash youth , juxtaposed against the rush of fervent young love . The ambitious “ Push ” sounds like it was written for ‘ 80s Yes , leaning beyond the era ’ s alternative pop into decisively progressive territory and propelled by Vinnie Colaiuta ’ s intricate drumming . The bass fills sound like they might have been imagined for the fingers of Chris Squire . The song makes a bipartisan rant against corrupt leaders . Rabin ’ s last Yesrelated project was the band ARW ( Anderson Rabin Wakeman ). That band ’ s drummer was Cock Robin veteran and longtime Rabin collaborator Lou Molino , who appears on several tracks including “ Big Mistakes ” and swinging rocker “ Paradise .” “ Paradise ” includes a lush vocal arrangement reminiscent of 90125 single “ Leave It .” The song ’ s upbeat musical mood obscures stormy weather as Rabin sings about roadblocks on the road to heaven .
Rabin ’ s experience building tension and suspense as a composer for films informs “ Oklahoma ,” which begins with intricate and intimate acoustic guitar work and blooms into cinematic and orchestral splendor . Rabin cuts loose on guitar during the manic instrumental passages and progressive rock madness of “ Thandi .” Rabin ’ s lyric vent anger against big game poachers . “ Goodbye ” is a revved-up country two-step with dizzying chicken-picking solos that would make Chet Atkins grin . The acapella jazz section of the romantic “ Tumbleweed ” uses technology and clustered vocals to create an effect with Rabin ’ s voice that sounds like a vocoder . The heartsick “ These Tears ” is a hypnotic twochord drone with clouds of reverb reminiscent of 10cc ’ s “ I ’ m Not in Love .” “ Toxic ” blends potent blues-rock and tuneful soloing a la Jeff Beck with industrial aggression . The uplifting African flavor of the chiming “ Egoli ” sounds like a song that might have been written for an ARW duet with Jon Anderson . Rabin sings about with concern for the condition of Johannesburg in his native South Africa .
The combination of top-shelf musicianship , songcraft , relatable subjects , and tuneful vocals should draw the attention of fans who didn ’ t spend as much time with Rabin ’ s otherwise excellent 2012 instrumental album Jacaranda . The 2xLP vinyl pressing of Rio arrives on translucent sea-blue vinyl with an etching on the fourth side .
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– Jeff Elbel
JANUARY STUDIO REPORT
At DON GRIFFIN MASTERING and MIX- ING , Bill Messner was in the studio tracking new music . Griffin was also mastering a new track for Kurt Porzelt and Dan Helie . Gideon also finished up a new track at Studio VMR last month . Mike Gallagher and DJ Corchin ( Apple Inc ) tracked new songs . Acclaimed drummer Larry Beers was in the studio with Mark Brown and Don Griffin .
At RAX TRAX in Chicago , Randy Park recorded his album A Time for Change , which he called “ an absolute labor of love ." It ' s available on streaming platforms . Perry (“ PJ ”), Alford ' s single “ Freedom ,” is also out now on all digital platforms . ( written , arranged & produced by Alford .
Bill Parks at RAX TRAX
Keyboards : Marshon Lewis ; Piano ; Rodney East ; Bass : Tim Fullerton ; Sax : Jeff Gibbs & Dorian Martin ; Percussion : Cory Wilson on Drums , plus sound engineer consultant : Les Brown , and mixed & mastered : Jason Schmidt .
At GRAVITY STUDIOS , local country artist Brad Redlich ' s new release , Chi-Rock ( The Album ), is now available on Amazon , Apple Music , and Spotify : Max Williams engineered with video production as seen on Facebook .
Hey Studiophiler : To get your studio or band listed in " Studiophile ," just email your studio / recording info to service @ illinoisentertainer . com , subject line : Studiophile . The deadline is January 15 for February issue .
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