Flying Colors – Flying Colors
Album Review by Morgan Waldorf
Five piece band, Flying Colors, are a very unique band. The band consists of already well established musicians who were specifically chosen by executive producer Bill Evans for the project. With a strong production team but without a budget or label, Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Avenged Sevenfold) on drums, Dave LaRue (Dixie Dregs, Steve Morse Band, Joe Satriani) on bass, Neal Morse (Spock’s Beard, Transatlantic) on keyboards and vocals, Casey McPherson (Alpha Rev, Endochine) singing lead vocals and Steve Morse (Deep Purple, Dixie Dregs, Kansas) on guitar, headed into a studio to experiment with the fusion of experience in their respective genres drawing from rock, metal, prog, and jazz.
Miraculously the strange combination of artists was crazy enough to work out just as they had hoped.The band recorded the entire album in only nine days with the sounds coming together and the chemistry of the members happening right away. The desired effect of a classic rock sounding album with new twists was accomplished.
The album starts out strong with the song “Blue Ocean” which has a bit of a jazzy sound, a big sounding chorus and the first of many great guitar solos by Steve Morse. “Shoulda Coulda Woulda” shows metal influence, being one of the heaviest songs on the record. “Kayla” is perhaps the most memorable song on the album with smooth standout pop harmonies. “The Storm” is a pop friendly, inspiring song. “Forever In A Daze” has a catchy chorus and shows classic rock influence with prominent bass lines.
“Love Is What I’m Waiting For” starts off the second half of the record on a slower and more romantic note but does not lack a major guitar solo. “Everything Changes” showcases a great intro and multiple guitar solos that make it another standout track. “Better Than Walking Away” is a true tear-jerking ballad. “All Falls Down” quickly brings the record back up and is another one of the albums heaviest hitting songs. “Fool In My Heart” draws from some slow jazzy influence which makes it sound perfect for slow dancing. The record ends with a 12 minute song titled “Infinite Fire”. This is where the band shows off their experience and technique by putting it all out there in a steady jam session highlighting everything the band had to offer.
With the amount of experience and musicianship behind this record, it’s not much of a shock that it turned out exceptionally well. The album captures everything a diehard classic rock fan would want with new additions that make it refreshing. Any fan of classic rock and strong guitar solos or even jazz, pop or metal should definitely check this album out.
Overall Rating: 4/5
Website: http://flyingcolorsmusic.com/
