[Start Page]  [Biography]    [Album Review Archive]   [News Archive]   [Concert Reviews]

   [Recordings]   [Photos]   [News]    [Links]    [Concert Review Archives]   

 [Les Miserables]   [damian wilson.com]  [Message Board]  [Bands]  [Interviews] 

[New English Rock Ensemble]

ALBUM REVIEWS

Damian WILSON : Disciple (Cosmas Records/autoproduction - 2001)

Damian Wilson is a singer and a musician whose versatility is pretty rare in the rock world : from his debut with the progressive rock band Landmarq in 1992, Damian has more or less followed two parallel careers with Landmarq but also with the progressive heavy metal band Threshold, before contributing to the three last albums of Arjen Lucassen, alas Ayreon. Meanwhile, he had recorded an album, remained unrealesed to this day, with the band LaSalle and almost succeeded to Bruce Dickinson in Iron Maiden !

In 1997, Wilson recorded his first solo album, "Cosmas",which was released at the beginning of 1998 and he negotiated at the same time a new amazing musical turn, in form of intimistic ballads, arranged in a rather acoustic way, a little bit folky, with piano, guitar and an orchestra, a collection of varied melodies but above all, some tender and romantic ones. "Cosmas" showed all the talent of Damian Wilson the composer, already noticed in some of his collaborations to the writing of some of the best songs by Landmarq. In 1998, by a chance meeting, Damian took another turn : towards the world of musicals, taking part during two years in the successful English version of the musical show "Les Misérables" and taking, two times a week, the main  role of Jean Valjean.

Last year, beside his collaboration with Adam Wakeman, he entered the new line-up of the English Rock Ensemble, the band of Adam's father ! He had also an opportunity to record, with the Sheffield Youth Orchestra, a cover version of Lennon's last song, "Grow Old With Me", as a duet with his former collegue Alex Sharpe. The song conceived as a single, foreseen to be  released on the anniversary of Lennon's birth date, then of his death, will fall into oblivion, despite the so-called interest showed by EMI ! At the same time, Damian has taken the opportunity of working with this orchestra to re-record some new versions of  some of the more orchestral songs from "Cosmas".

Then remained the problem to find a record company ! At the moment, the album "Disciple" is available since the first of October as an autoproduction, under the form of a limited special double digipack edition, exclusively  through the official website www.damianwilson.com. The album itself has for companion the single "Grow Old", one of the most beautiful love songs ever written by the ex-Beatles, which existed only as a demo. This new version, which he sings with the excellent Alex Sharpe, arranged for the symphony orchestra, is absolutely splendid, one of those moving songs, that we know, after the first listening, that it is a classic ! Beside "Grow Old", we can find four other tracks. Two of them are new versions of some tracks from « Cosmas" : "Monday Night In March" and, above all, the poignant "Just The Way It Goes" which finds here a new dimension with the whole symphony orchestra and a more dramatic singing from Damian... « In A Word » dedicated to his father,  is an up-tempo orchestral song that could be a monster in a musical (and features aslo some beautifiul lyrics, once more) and, finally, "Nothing Left In Me" is another superb intimist track (but still enhanced by a lush orchestration) that conceals a lot of suffering...

As for "Disciple" itself, this is an album dedicated by Damian to his children, and thus, all the songs are more or less about relations with his loved ones or about the childhood theme. Here we can find again the familiar world of "Cosmas", but with the tender and romantic side extended to the whole album. These songs are all more beautiful each one than the other. A simple acoustic guitar, a piano, sometimes a few crystalline notes coming from an electric guitar or an electric piano, a little bit of percussion and, here and there, a drum kit but, above all, this omnipresent orchestra, arranged with a lot of talent (thanks to Andrew Holdsworth, one more time responsible for the arrangements, as on "Cosmas"), which gives an invaluable scale to these perfect melodies. Yes, "perfect", a word which hardly comes out of the pen of your humble reviewer !

In this album, no odd nor convoluted rhythms, no unrestrained solos, no strange dissonances, no sterile demonstrations, only the music... splendid, and the voice...moving. If you liked the most sensitive pieces from "Cosmas", you will LOVE "Disciple". Anyway, the tracks are quite varied and can maintain the interest of the listener, with sometimes a track with a little bit more brio which lifts you up irresistibly like "Brightest Way" or "Heavenly Mine", there is even a little touch of discreet electronic rhythms in "Beating Inside", which conjures up images of a beating heart.

"Disciple" or "Adam's Child" - this last one recalling quite strongly the marvelous "Scarborough Fair" - make a foray into a grandiose and majestic style, thanks to the whole orchestra used in its full splendour.

On another side, "What A Man Can Dream", "Never Going To Close The Door" or "Part Of Me" (probably one of the most beautiful and moving song ever written) or the ending acoustic solo spot "Quietly Spoken" are more intimist, some songs whose deepness we can appreciate when lingering on the lyrics, at the same time simple and sometimes allusive, where everything is in the untold. Musically-speaking, each song is just excellent, each track is the testimony to a long-term work, a meticulate one, where every inflexion of the voice seems reworked a thousand times and spontaneous at the same time. A few references to help you to find your bearings ? We can think about some singers like Tori Amos, in her most intimate pieces (the album "Little Earthquakes") or Fish in his best period ("Gentleman's Excuse-Me" on "Vigil" for example) in order to find again this degree of complicity that the singer manages to create with the listener. But what is marvelous is the fact that Wilson is also a singer of exception ! Even if, in this album, we're far from the irresistible power of some songs by Threshold or Landmarq, we can however appreciate the exceptional vocal mastery of Damian (worth of Michael Kiske or Geoff Tate), blended with this exacerbated sensitivity which is unique and really Damian's own. Each word seems to be sung for you and you only, in your ear. Listen to "Part Of Me" and feel the man behind the voice...Without a doubt, the singer thought very strongly about his beloved ones when recording these songs, some of them even sound like lullabies ! But don't go and deduct from these descriptions that this album is silly or precious, even if some people won't avoid to say it, of course ! To those who would be in this case, I pity you for your disability.... This album simply breathes some tenderness, nostalgia for a not completely forgotten childhood. Some will feel like saying  "a few minutes of tenderness in a brutal world", by derision. But that's true in the end, "Disciple" is immersed in the sensitivety on the edge of the voice, which emanes from Wilson ; and the beauty of the melodies does not prevent some of the tracks to be really melancholy or even poignant, it's the contrary.

This is one of these extremely rare albums, endowed with a great unity, whose each song makes you wanting to hear it again and again, an album which is very difficult to be tired of, when you like something else than dramatic outbursts, pompous epics, when you also like a real "song", well-constructed with a strong melody, worth its name, embellished by magnificent arrangements. On this level, Damian manages sometimes to say more, in 2:30, than certain progressive bands in ten minutes !

In a few listenings, "Disciple" has become a close friend, the kind of album which, unless it leaves you completely indifferent, touches you deep inside and doesn't let you go. The sign of a great album. Thanks to you, Mister Wilson, for having had the talent but also the courage to create this too-short jewel which is worth to be shared like a precious gift.

______________________________________

DISCIPLE BY THE EUROPEAN PROGRESSIVE ROCK REVIEW

Damian Wilson, ex vocalist of, among others, Landmarq and Threshold, returns with this his second solo album after appearing in the stage musical production of "Les Miserables". This new offering, "Disciple"  basically continues on from his 1997 release, "Cosmas", in that once again the gentler thoughtful side of his musical interests surfaces. He states that "he was going through a traumatic break-up of his family" and "throughout the two year tour of Les Miserables he was writing the songs that would reflect his past and present family memories". All these songs now appear on this album which is steeped in the true tradition of singer songwriters and is a stronger more consistent body of work than his previous solo album. Also included here is Damian's version of the last song recorded by John Lennon.

My formative years were spent growing up in the 60s. I remember hearing the Beatles for the first time and seeing "Love Me Do" reaching the lower rungs of the charts. For me though the calling came from America and the far superior direction of the likes of Bob Dylan's "I Want You"/"Like A Rolling Stone" and the amazing Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" album which was released prior to The Beatles' "Sgt Pepper". It was however, with the release of the "Sgt. Pepper" album and the singles that came after it, that the Beatles finally won me over. Those times were magical and everyone who was young and into music knew where they were heading in the 60s.
Damian states that he became a big fan of the Beatles at the age of ten and after hearing John Lennon's "Grow Old With Me" (said to be the last song he wrote) it left him with the thought that it was the only cover song he ever wished to record. After eventually getting clearance to record it as a single Damian initially envisioned it with a string quartet and piano but eventually ended up with a full orchestra. He also began to hear it as a duet and Alex Sharpe, who had been in "Les Miserables", was soon asked to join him in the project. It was recorded in Abbey Road studios with the City of Sheffield Youth Orchestra.  The end result, in hind sight, is a heart wrenching, poignant epitaph that John Lennon left to the world, it's a classic. I have never heard the John Lennon original and truthfully this is a song I cannot imagine John Lennon singing as Damian seems to have stamped his own interpretation on it and it sounds very like many of the original compositions included on the album.

"Grow Old With Me" now appears here along with this limited edition album and there are many highlights other than the song "Grow Old With Me", for example the splendid and unmissable "In A Word" with the thoughts........

"In life where loneliness is strife
There is a word, I believe, that's worth a
second fight
For there must be many strong, but
there's none as strong as you
For in a word, I know, we'll pull each
other through."

Also take a listen to "A Monday Night In March" and "Just The Way It Goes", both coming from the "Cosmas" album, these all appear on the additional single.

Damian then went on to use the orchestra along with other musicians who helped out on piano, acoustic/electric guitars etc. for the recording of the album "Disciple" and you don't need to wait long for more highlights as the opener is another full blown orchestral piece which is soulful and heartfelt and would not go amiss on a Dan Fogelberg album. The same can also be said for "Quietly Spoken".
When the acoustic guitar enters along with only strings and piano, such as on "Beating Inside" and "What A Man Can Dream", Damian's phrasing and, at times, vocals almost sound like Harvey Andrews' better efforts, e.g. "Autumn". Another breathtaking and haunting song is "Adam's Child" with the lines........

"Lose me now to the pleasures that
come over me
Tease my thought and emotions, let
them free
Deep through light, let the past remove
its curse from me
Blind, I now sense I see"

A song, a beautiful song, about growing up.

Damian Wilson's special quality is his voice. Four times in the past he has been voted "Best Vocalist Of The Year" by The Classic Rock Society and even if you've only heard his voice once you would have to agree with that accolade. The thing that also hits you is his vocal delivery, whether it be with Landmarq or guesting on the Ayreon projects, it has a theatrical ring to it, even on this his solo project.
This is soul searching stuff which continues throughout the album without respite. It's unfortunate that the greatest inspiration for creativity stems from traumatic periods in most composers lives and this album is a prime example. Harry Chapin often quoted Pete Seeger's manager when talking of his own career by saying "in times of trouble or unrest, people turn to reality singers for some kind of understanding and comfort". This is the case with this album, not just from the aforementioned composers perspective but also for me the listener. This is an engrossing, enriching and uplifting experience all rolled into one. It's heart warming. 100%

European Progressive Rock Review

______________________________________

Rick WAKEMAN & The English Rock Ensemble : Out Of The Blue (Live in Buenos Aires)

(Music Fusion - 2001)

Live albums by Rick Wakeman don't come so often. This one, recorded during the springtime in South America, an area where the keyboard wizard seems to enjoy an increasing popularity, is certainly his best vocal album since a very long time, apart from  "Return To The Center Of The Earth".

It also introduces a new version of his rock band, The English Rock Ensemble. Accompanied by his son Adam as a second keyboard player, by Lee Pomeroy on the bass guitar, Ant Glynne on the lead guitar and by the faithful Tony Fernandez on drums, Rick chose to enroll as a singer... a certain guy named Damian Wilson ! Coming back on the progressive rock scene, Wilson manages to give a new dimension to the old repertoire, proving here more than ever, what a great singer he is. Never before Rick's tracks enjoyed such an intensity, even if most of the tracks proposed here are often giving a large space to the instrumental parts. Almost 75 minutes for only seven tracks !

Rick Wakeman displays in these ones a fantastic energy. And his band is not outdone ! Ant Glynne is sometimes quite aggressive in his playing but we are treated here to a damn good technician, who is also endowed with a refreshing ardour !

Adam is not only accompanying his father and we can hear there some explosive keyboards battles !

The rhythm section is more than... rhythmic ! Lee Pomeroy is a very melodic player, who echoes sometimes... Chris Squire ! And as for Tony Fernandez, he is just a drummer as much precise than energetic.

"Out Of The Blue" is not an album you must listen to get to sleep, rather the one you should listen right in the morning in order to get you awake, then in the evening to be in good shape coming back from work !

"Journey To The Center Of The Earth" is a nearly 17-minute-long excerpt from the classic baroque and orchestral album by Rick and this is an tremendous pleasure to hear Damian sing it like nobody before him !  As for the keyboards and guitar work, the tone is given right from the start : it will be some true fireworks ! But be careful : always with a great melodic sense, no noises nor dissonant distortion, just an stunning virtuosity coming from every  musician. And above all, a pleasure to be playing together which is perfectly perceptible and infectious.

The following number, "Buried Alive", is an excerpt from the excellent and unrecognized "Return To The Center Of The Earth" from 1999. Without the support from the orchestra, this version has a more rocky sound (the track was sung by Ozzy Osbourne originally), and in this one, Ant Glynne is playing some solos in an especially incisive style. There comes after a kind of solo pause for Rick, well, "pause" is not the most accurate term because the magnificent "Jane Seymour" from the famous "Six Wives of Henry VIII" is a real purple passage, with a very convincing church organ sound, a very small wink at JS Bach in the beginning, then it is a true sound cathedral, without a doubt the best track from Rick's first solo album.

The long and contrasted medley from "No Earthly Connection" (an album unfortunately never re-released on CD by A&M, now Universal Music), is maybe the strongest moment on this album, with an omnipresent Damian Wilson this time, who is truly fantastic : you must hear this singer who goes, in a few seconds, from the most powerful singing style, worth of the best heavy metal singers like Michael Kiske or Geoff Tate, to the soft tones of his solo work ! This version, rearranged with a powerful rhythm and an epic tone in the main theme, but containing also many quieter passages, is simply one of the best tracks Rick ever wrote,  with many unstoppable melodies that won't get out of your head !

"Catherine Parr" is another transfigured version from an excerpt from "Six Wives", extended to nearly 10 minutes, including not only some dazzling keyboard parts but also some brilliant guitar soloing from Ant Glynne, undoubtedly inspired by the music of Sir Wakeman !

"The Visit/The Phantom" coming from "Phantom Power" contains a lot of vocal parts, but gives also to Ant Glynne the opportunity to take off in a wild guitar solo, which confers a special value to this 2-tracks medley, with jerky rhythm, excerpt from  a rather recent album [for one time].

The crowning piece is a sixteen-minute version of "Starship Trooper", a Yes classic piece which Rick is especially fond of, including a wink to the introduction of "Heart Of The Sunrise" as an overture !! Far better than the version played by Adam's band, Jeronimo Road (also with Damian Wilson), and  featured on the Yes tribute, "Tales From Yesterday" (Magna Carta, 1995), this track is completely reworked here, played in a faster pace, with more rhythm changes, and the singer is mastering it better. The long ending "Würm" is an incredible deluge of notes, including a keyboard duel between the two Wakeman, the father and the son, some virtuoso developments by Glynne and even a section where the three of them start a swirling solo in unison, supported by an unchained rhythm section !

Here is a Yes cover version certainly not to be compared with the original  but which has at least, to its credit, the fact that it brings something really new.

In the end, "Out Of The Blue" is certainly the best vocal album by Rick Wakeman, thanks to  Damian Wilson's talent, it's also one of his most progressive ones. We can only expect the best studio work from this band, due to the spring of 2002 (see Rick's interview elsewhere in this issue).

Lovers of virtuosity and accessible melodies, if you want to hear an album which is everything except the softening fruit from a gathering of ageing musicians but, on the contrary, the product of a band in top form and whose pleasure to play together is obvious, you can't miss this album !

Cosmas (Review by the European Progressive Rock Review)

Well, when this CD was released in 1997, it was a change of direction for the ex-Landmarq singer as this album is full of orchestration, harpsichord, trombone, accordion etc., and these songs concentrate on the gentler side of Damian's musical interests. 

"When I Leave This Land" opens this album with piano and gentle vocals, then beautifully arranged strings enter creating an emotional gem. Damian's vocals are as perfect as ever. 

Track 2, "She's Like A Fable", has more of a folky twang to it and has you singing along from the second verse, a very light and cheerful type of song. Nice accordion on this track. "I Want To Build My World" opens with acoustic guitar, violin and piano, but then soon picks up and turns into quite an up tempo number. Sometimes this track reminds me of Cat Stevens; in fact if you like this, check out some of Cat's albums. The next track, "Agony", is a change of style and even more so the lyrics; hilarious at times, especially when he starts singing about "better lubrication" and "playing with French letters". Sounds great, I can imagine "Squeeze" singing this. 

Track 5, "You Hurt Me Inside", is a beautiful song that has gentle acoustic guitar and accordion. "A Monday Night In March" opens with wonderful orchestration and piano; this is so good, extremely emotional, it gives you the shivers. Damian sings, "and if we'd ever stayed together I wonder how it would last". "How Can You Turn So Coldly" is a 30 second acoustic guitar and gentle vocal piece pleading "how can our worlds both disagree".

 Track 8, "Please Don't Leave Me Till I Leave You", is back to the format of "Agony" with a happy-go-lucky attitude, again a great sing-along track. "I Can't Change Your Mind" is another 30 second acoustic track with gentle vocals, almost as if Damian keeps dropping in a personal statement to someone. That's lyric writers for you. You are often drawn into believing everything they write; I suppose that's the secret of being a great lyricist.

 Track 10, "Nothing In This World Stays The Same", wow, something special here, violin, cello, oboe and piano in an emotionally charged masterpiece, great lyrics, brilliant. "Naturally" is a 70 second burst of a statement, "Naturally things turn out the best", sings Damian. "Home Grown" is a corker of a song about speaking to God and asking him "do you ever smoke home grown" and God replied "I planted myself some of that home grown"; yep what a laugh. The strange thing is the music to this song is so serious. I suppose it would have to be, because the story hits you all the more strongly.

 Track 13, the 48 second "The Image I Saw", leads into "Naked" which is a more powerful song with electric guitar and strings, good high vocals here from Damian. "Just The Way It Goes" is a combination of all the emotional songs that went on previously on this album, I suppose you can say it's the ultimate crowning glory and really was the only way to finish this, at times, varied but importantly beautiful piece of work.

Cosmas. Review by Dmitry M. Epstein

"Cosmas" is definitely NOT rock album, not the one we can expect from the singer with THRESHOLD who also takes part in AYREON projects. But it suits well for the man who sung in "Les Miserables" staging as well as on the Rick Wakeman recent tour.

The album starts off with "When I Leave This Land", the gentle tune played on the piano and sung in the vein of the David Coverdale's solo debut with etherial voice flying around. Strings add another dimension to quite a simple but beautiful song. Next we hear "She's Like A Fable" resembling "Norwegian Wood" with its folky motifs that penetrate all the album through. This gem could fit perfectly even for Ian Anderson whilst "Agony" has another mood kicking in, a jazzy, almost Broadway-like tune filled with dixieland brass section and piano. And yes, here it is - a cute guitar solo which leads to fade out.

Well, it's a singer's album and all the instrumentation and arrangements serve just to underline Damian's voice, soft, soothing and shining in a melancholy lullaby "You Hurt Me Inside", adorned with mandolin and accordion playing. And what's very pleasing is several small, half-minute, acoustic guitar/vocal dittos spreaded around "Cosmas"; "How Can You Turn So Coldly" is one of them showing the beauty of simplicity, the rule that many artists tend to oversee. Another one is "I Can't Change Your Mind" sung a capella.

"Please Don't Leave Me Till I Leave You" once more discloses Mr Wilson love for the Beatle-ish harmonies in their overt Englishness. "Naturally" is, er, natural and warm - Damian just sings and rarely lets his voice soar, he doesn't show it off. Mostly acoustic instruments got the listener relaxed a little so he's awake with the electric guitar riff, so odd sounding in this idyll. It's "Naked", bluesy and dirty a la Hendrix, and Wilson for the first time lets himself go with a scream, thus combining clear operatic singing with rock approach, akin to the way Ronnie Dio does, while creating a curious contrast with string sextet.

"Cosmas" appears to be very intimate and introvert piece of work that would be close to every dreamer of this world.

[Start Page]  [Biography]    [Album Review Archive]   [News Archive]   [Concert Reviews]

   [Recordings]   [Photos]   [News]    [Links]    [Concert Review Archives]   

 [Les Miserables]   [damian wilson.com]  [Message Board]  [Bands]  [Interviews] 

[New English Rock Ensemble]