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░ ██ ██ Artist: Lisa LaRue PROJECT 2K9 ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: World Class █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2010 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2010-10-08 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: MALS ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ For American keyboardist Lisa LaRue's latest █
█ effort World Class she has enlisted some of the █
█ best up and coming artists in the prog arena to █
█ collaborate alongside such seasoned veterans as █
█ Asia's John Payne. What you get here are eleven █
█ richly layered compositions that can best be █
█ described as progressive / symphonic rock with a █
█ hint of world music thrown in for good measure. █
█ █
█ The album kicks off with a couple of majestic and █
█ intricately arranged instrumentals with "In █
█ Camera" and "Copper Edge". Both of these tracks █
█ are peppered with some absolutely splendid, █
█ atmospheric keyboard playing from LaRue, as well █
█ as a plethora of sizzling solos from guitarist █
█ Steve Adams. The gears are shifted for track █
█ number three "Tell Me Why", which is an up-tempo █
█ melodic rocker penned by David Mark Pierce █
█ featuring Payne on vocals. Payne's distinctive █
█ vocals are featured predominately throughout World █
█ Class; for example on the song "Deluge" he █
█ delivers a poignant vocal with lyrics adapted from █
█ Susanna Moodies poem The Deluge, while other █
█ highlights include "Beautiful Illusion" and the █
█ sparkling melodies that come to the forefront on █
█ "For Our Love" where he shares the microphone with █
█ female vocalist Claire Vezina. █
█ █
█ While I certainly wouldn't describe LaRue as being █
█ your prototypical, flashy keyboard player, her █
█ real strengths are revealed within the lush █
█ textures and emotive melodies found in a song like █
█ "There Are No Words", an instrumental duet between █
█ herself and Pierce. On this particular track her █
█ delicate treatments provide a sumptuous backdrop █
█ for David's superb classical guitar work. The █
█ album concludes with the brief instrumental "Two █
█ A.M." and a remix of the song "Save Me" which was █
█ featured on her last album Transformation 2012. █
█ █
█ World Class is full of great melodic keyboard █
█ arrangements that are written and executed █
█ perfectly. LaRue has definitely surrounded herself █
█ with a stellar cast of musicians here and this is █
█ another big reason why this album works as well as █
█ it does. The unique qualities of each player is █
█ allowed to shine through in such a way that the █
█ listener is definitely able to pick up on the true █
█ sense of collaboration that is flowing through █
█ each and every one of these compositions. It's █
█ hard to get any better than that. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. In Camera 3:30 ░
░ 2. Copper Edge 6:10 ░
░ 3. Tell Me Why 6:28 ░
░ 4. Kituwa 4:14 ░
░ 5. Deluge 3:46 ░
░ 6. There Are No Words 4:09 ░
░ 7. For Eternity 4:28 ░
░ 8. Beautiful Illusion 4:33 ░
░ 9. For Our Love 3:48 ░
░ 10. Two A.M. 2:00 ░
░ 11. Save Me (2K9 Remix) (Bonus Track) 4:22 ░
░ 47:28 ░
░ ▒ ▒
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