| The
Review |
JOHN PAYNE & GPS deliver an album of powerful, passionate
Prog-Rock & AOR. One of the finest releases of 2006. , April
30, 2007 By Jeffery K. Matheus (Indianapolis, IN United States)
- See all my reviews As most reading this review will probably
already know, "Window To the Soul" is the debut album from
GPS, a band born out of the ashes of (the latter-day incarnation
of) rock supergroup ASIA - featuring ex-Asia members John
Payne (lead vocals, bass), Guthrie Govan (guitar)and Jay Schellen
(drums), joined by new keyboard player Ryo Okumoto (Spock's
Beard).
Now, just to give you an idea of the perspective from
which I am writting this review...Like many, I was extremely
disappointed when the news first came across the Asiaworld
website that Geoff Downes and John Payne had disolved their
creative relationship, with Downes leaving to participate
in a reunion tour with the original Asia line-up. While I
enjoyed the original Asia band back in their heyday, I must
say that over the years I have come to heavily prefer the
John Payne-era. In fact, I believe Payne, with his soulful
voice and thoughtful lyrics, gave the band a creative shot
in the arm at a time when they could have just as easily turned
into an irrelevant nostalgia act.
Between 1994 and 2006 I saw the Payne-led Asia in concert
five times, looked-forward to each new CD upon its release,
met most of the band members, and even helped to arrange one
of their acoustic "Asia Across America" dates. So, you could
say I am something of a fanatic for Payne-era Asia. While
others are certainly free to disagree, I honestly believe
that Asia produced their most creative, progressive, and diverse
music with Payne at the healm - with "Aura" and "Silent Nation"
standing as the best albums of their career...So, how does
the new band, GPS, stack up against the best work of Asia???
Incredibly well, I'm happy to report - but this is a band
that, thankfully, does more than simply live up to past glories.
While several of the recognizable hallmarks of Payne-era Asia
are evident throughout this album, there are also some new
elements to the sound that help to give GPS their own identity
as a band. For one, many of the the song structures are much
more progressive & dynamic - with several "epic" pieces clocking
in the 8 to 10 minute range. The instrumental breaks are,
likewise, more nusanced and complex. There is also a heavier,
more agressive side to some of the music, but thankfully the
heavy bits are infused with a strong sense of melody and song-craft,
and never devolve into the annoying heavy metal "shreading"
that weighs down the work of some of GPS' Inside Out labelmates.
As for the indivdual performances - John Payne's distinctive
voice is, as usual, quite stunning on this album, and his
performances are full of passion, humanity, and (quite often)
some aggressive grit! Payne's bass work also seems much more
prominant in this new band. Drummer Jay Schellen (also known
for his work with prog bands World Trade and Conspiracy) turns
in some of his most impressive work to date, and helps add
a lot of dynamic thunder to the arrangements. Guthrie Govan
gets much more room to stretch out as a soloist than he did
on the "Silent Nation" or "America" CDs, and his dexterious
(but melodic) fret-work adds vibrant color to every track.
Not being much of a Spock's Beard fan, I was initially worried
about how Ryo Okumoto might fit into this band - but I now
must admit he does an EXCELLENT job here! Ryo does not try
to mimic Geoff Downes style at all, but brings a slightly
more experimental, quirky keyboard sound to the band (just
one more thing that helps to give GPS a distinct identity
apart from Asia.) Ryo has some impressive solo spots throughout
the album, and proves that he is indeed the right man for
the job! Lyrically, this album continues Payne's exploration
of spiritual and moral themes (see "New Jerusalem", "Written
On the Wind", and the title track)- as well as continuing
the tradition of powerful anti-war sentiments that have been
a running-thread through nearly every Asia album ("The Objector"
tells the story of a young conscientious objector who is forced
onto the battlefield against his will and is tragically killed.)
There are also a few standard rock & roll "relationship" lyrics
("Since You've Been Gone", "Gold"), but Payne is such an interesting
writer that even his lighter fare has a strong emotional undertone.
As for picking favorite songs; this is a bit difficult
as I literally love every track on the album. But if I was
hard-pressed, I would say that "New Jerusalem" and "Taken
Dreams" are two tracks that nicely sum up everything that
is great about this band...In closing, while the sudden disbanding
of Payne-era Asia was unfortunate, I'm very glad to see that
Payne, Govan, and Schellen have continued together to create
some of the most creative, challenging music of their careers,
rather than heading in a more commercially "safe" direction.
As for the original Asia reunion??? Well, to put things in
perspective, the newest song in their concert set list is
from 1983! Let Downes and company have their nostalgia tours
- but it's GPS that I choose to support with my time and money.
All in all, "Window To the Soul" is a must for fans of John
Payne, and also highly recommended to general Progeressive
Rock/AOR fans.
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