Ghost
Circus is the debut release of a duet
of artists that come from both sides
of the Atlantic Ocean. Ronald Wahle
from the Netherlands and Chris Brown
from the States were met through the
Internet and soon they discovered
their common interests. Network technology
is able to minimize or even eliminate
distances, so their dreams were realized
very soon. But this is history…
If we would like
to describe "Cycles" we
would say that their progressive rock
sails to the seas of Genesis (post-Gabriel
era). This trip has several harbors,
such as Marillion and Porcupine Tree,
while their general orientation can
often be characterized as AOR-ish.
In theory the outcome seems interesting,
however in practice it isn't. Probably
the distance between the two artists
is the main reason for the main drawback
of this CD, which is nothing less
than the lack of coherence. They have
the good will, but the result fails
them. The songs do not have the proper
dynamics and sometimes they do not
sound tight. "Cycles" fails
even in basic fields, like the production,
which is quite weak. I feel that the
two artists didn't show their full
potential, because there are a few
good moments in "Cycles",
like the opening "Broken Glass"
and "The Distance".
I am trying to find
what went wrong with this CD, for
which I read many enthusiastic reviews
in the Internet. I wonder if it is
a matter of taste. Maybe yes; maybe
not. One thing is for sure. "Cycles"
won't find its way to my CD-player
easily. |
