One of the rarest US prog recordings just happen to be from a little band out of Arkansas who call themselves Rayburn. Back in the early '70s the band were signed to a division of RCA Records, but the label wound up never releasing any of their material, and after the death of one of their members the band soon splintered, seemingly never to be heard from again. However, back in 2009 the band reunited and released a CD of these demos, and now here three years later they've put together Your Mind, the official Rayburn release, completed with the help of producer Ben Fowler and a 26-person orchestra. Taking those old songs and adding new instrumentation and vocals, Rayburn have become a vibrant prog act here in 2012.
The influences of Yes, Gentle Giant, Vanilla Fudge, Steely Dan, Steppenwolf, Deep Purple, and ELP still remain here, so look for those great vintage sounding keyboards, but the orchestra and lush female vocals in spots adds a nice modern touch. "Summer Showers" combines all these elements perfectly, and is just a lovely tune. However, most readers of this site are probably most interested in the acrobatic, prog rock numbers, so be sure to check out "Your Mind", "See My Eyes", "America", "Steam Shuffle" (which has some killer Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter styled guitar solos), and "Working My Way Upstream", each one with tasty keyboards, biting guitar, and intricate rhythms. "Gotta Be Ready to Die" is a driving rocker that has a lot in common with the organ/guitar sound of the proto-prog era, and "Sunset", with its gorgeous female vocals, acoustic guitar, and orchestra, should instantly appeal to fans of the great band Renaissance. The stunning "Farmer" is perhaps the most powerful and dramatic piece here, with superb vocals that almost sound like vintage Freddie Mercury, heavy guitar riffs, and swirling Hammond organ.
Your Mind is just solid and enjoyable throughout, with expert instrumentation, powerful vocals, and most importantly memorable songs. Here's hoping that Rayburn stick around for good and decide to take this to the next step and continue to create even more original progressive rock music for us.
Track Listing
1. Your Mind
3:16
2. Working My Way Upstream
5:26
3. Hey Friend
4:01
4. Gotta Be Ready to Die
6:25
5. Sunset
2:13
6. Farmer
4:57
7. The Trail Is Gone
2:13
8. Summer Showers
3:41
9. Saltless Tears
5:00
10. See My Eyes
4:29
11. Said I Love Only You
7:41
12. America
2:30
13. Stand
5:42
14. Righteous Man
5:22
15. Steam Shuffle
3:20
16. It's Time Again
2:13
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