Roolaart, Anton: The Plight of Lady Oona

Anton Roolaart was born in the Netherlands but moved to the United States with his family at a young age. He released his first album Dreamer in 2007. The Plight of Lady Oona is his latest release.

This is classy symphonic prog with an extremely delicate and light touch. The songs do not vary a whole lot from one another which is a detriment sometimes but not so in this case. There is such tremendous flow between tracks it is essential to take in the album as one cohesive whole, preferably on a good set of headphones so as to hear the subtle sonic effects this album has to offer. Roolaart is an excellent musician as his keyboard, synth and guitar playing are top notch. His use of various keyboard and synth textures along with the mighty Mellotron will have '70s prog fans licking their chops. Even though the songs are quite mellow there are plenty of solos (both guitar and keyboards) for fans to sink their teeth into.

There are also some notable guest appearances including Annie Haslam (Renaissance) and some fabulous bass courtesy of Vinnie Puryear.

"Gravity" is the disc's first track and a good one it is. Sublime vocals drift over a pastoral soundscape of shimmering guitar and orchestral keyboards. The vocals are beautifully matched to the softly flowing swells of orchestration. Guest musician Kendall Scott offers a superb synth solo as well.

"Stars Fall Down" features breathtakingly atmospheric synths, wonderful Mellotron strings and Roolaart's classy guitar work.

The title track is also the longest and the only tune with a running time over ten minutes. This one is a real stunner as the music meanders through peaks and valleys of sinuous bass lines, beautiful orchestrations including Mellotron violins, wonderful organ enriched soundscapes and classically inspired acoustic guitar.

"Standing in the Rain" features moody keys and excellent bass lines with intermittent heavier guitar chords. The drumming of Pieter van Hoorn deserves special mention as his tone and heavier fills as the song progresses are pure class.

The last track "The Revealing Light" is the perfect combination of acoustic and electric guitar at times reminding me of Pink Floyd.

If you enjoy the mellower sounds of bands like Camel and Genesis, The Plight of Lady Oona should be much to your liking. It really is a lovely slice of melodic symphonic progressive rock and fully deserving of 4 stars.

Track Listing:
1. Gravity (7:04)
2. Stars Fall Down (5:24)
3. The Plight of Lady Oona (13:49)
4. Standing in the Rain (4:53)
5. Memoires (4:56)
6. The Revealing Light (8:18)

Added: November 21st 2014
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 2332
Language: english

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