Alvarado, Leon: The Changing Tide

Multi-instrumentalist Leon Alvarado has an impressive resume having recorded with the likes of Rick Wakeman, Bill Bruford, and John Goodsall to name a few. His latest release The Changing Tide which he concludes was influenced by the musical heritage of Pink Floyd, might just be the understatement of the year. He recruited two members of Brit Floyd (Edoardo Scordo and Damian Darlington) to guest on the album. The 10 minute opener “The Equilibrium of Time� is an atmospheric piece of music, mostly keyboard driven, and it sets the mood of the record, even getting in that little heartbeat at the end of the track. “A Day Of A Different Sort� opens using “Shine On You Crazy Diamond� not so much as a source of inspiration, but a pretty direct take, which I find very odd. Let’s just say a lot of the music found here just gets a little too close for comfort. I get being inspired and even writing something in the same vein, but all the little nuances are lost and it just seems to be direct quotes from the source of inspiration. “Dance of the Pink Elephants� doesn’t ring a bell in terms of Pink Floyd, but I wish the track got out of first gear, it plods along with some organ and slide guitar, but needs a kick in the ass.

After reading the liner notes and seeing the closing track is in fact the Floyd classic “Brain Damage�, maybe I should lighten up a bit. The vocal is out of sync with the music, making for a very frustrating listen. I want to hear more of the artist in the music, if I want to hear Pink Floyd, I’ll play a Pink Floyd album. Alvarado has a number of other releases on his page, but after listening to The Changing Tide, I can’t say I was inspired to dig further, and it gives me no clue to his musical identity.

Track List:
1. The Equilibrium Of Time
2. A Day Of A Different Sort
3. A View From A Different Room
4. Dance Of The Pink Elephants
5. The Changing Tide
6. Brain Damage

Added: August 21st 2024
Reviewer: Eric Porter
Score:
Related Link: Artists @ Bandcamp
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Language: english

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