It is so important for a CD to start out correctly and from the first vocals and notes of "Autumn Drums (overture)" you know that Of Autumn and Insight is going to be something special. Sarah Wallace has this haunting voice that cuts through the guitar work, even though it is almost a whisper. Combined with JL Hannah's talk-sing approach and you have one powerhouse opener. All of the instrumentation is subdued, yet stands out like an ornament on a tree. This is how progressive rock was meant to be made, with many themes and ideas woven together to form a whole which is greater then the sum of its parts.
And that in a nutshell is Sum Voices. This is not a band as much as a collection of musicians spread across the country contributing little pieces of vocals and instrumentation that Hannah has formed together to make a cohesive album of. After the stunning opener, Paige Sessa takes the lead on the Iona inspired track "Passing Time" that really is the most accessible, and maybe beautiful of the 14 songs. "Dischorus" is the only song that sounds like a Hannah solo contribution, and suffers because of it. With 18 musicians contributing to this CD, you may wonder why Hannah, who has an average voice, decides to apply his singsong vocals to so many tracks. On first listen that is, but after several listens, you will understand with all the contributions, this is the one thing that holds the album together, the constant thread if you will.
The 4-song demo that I originally heard (see below), took the most accessible of the songs and was absolutely one of the best demo CDs I had ever heard. After listening to the full length CD, I was a bit taken aback. But after really digging in, I have determined that the bizarre turns on Of Autumn and Insight keep the CD from getting stale. When I listen to a song like "SumVoices, Some", with Linda Couturas' Fiona Apple-ish blues vocal, I dislike it and love it at the same time. But the one thing is, I keep listening to it. That is the power of some of these songs.
Anytime you mix this many performers into this varied of styles, you are going to hit winners and a few clunkers. "Summer Snow" and "My Own Sunday" are rather ordinary, not bad, but not as creative as the rest. But songs like "Generations", which will remind you of Fritz Doody, "Letting Go", the jazz tinged song that has some of the better guitar riffs on the CD, and "Shadows", another progressive tune with layered vocals which bookends the CD perfectly along with the stunning opener, make this CD one of the bright spots of the new year. Highly recommended to fans of mellower, experimental progressive rock.
Track Listing
1. Autumn Drums
2. Passing Time
3. Dischorus
4. Summer Snow
5. On It's Own
6. SumVoices, Some
7. Generations
8. My Own SunDay
9. Sleep Right
10. Ode To George
11. One Lost Look
12. Ole Friend
13. Letting Go
14. Shadows
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