LALU - PAINT THE SKY
There are only two scenarios I can imagine stopping this fantastic album making my end of year Top Ten, and those are that we have ten masterpieces of all time between now and December (and this has never happened before, so won’t this year), or we all suffer a nuclear apocalypse and bugger all is left. This album is that good.
Lalu is the vision of French songwriter and keyboardist Vivien Lalu. Paint The Sky is only the third studio album release since 2005, but quality, as ever, takes its time. I had read some impressive reviews about this, and they are all spot on the money. This is a seriously good album.
Firstly, the Lazland household is simply salivating at the prospect of new music that will be created by vocalist Damian Wilson, whose solo LPs I have always enjoyed, and the chaps of Arena, because on the evidence of this collaboration with Lalu, we are in for a huge treat. He has a huge set of pipes, but is adaptable and flexible in his approach. Hard, heavy, tender, ballads, he has it all.
This album is perhaps the type of music that 90125-era Yes would be making now if they were still creatively young, and, in Squire’s case, alive. I need to state clearly that this does not render this album a derivative copy. Far from it, but the influence is plainly here. Opener, Reset To Preset, is a catchy and rather commercial rocker. There is a ghostly guitar solo, but Joop Walters renders his inner Rabin at the close. The theme is, of course, the damage this species does to this lovely planet. On Won’t Rest (a great title), we get the first impression of a rich seam of musical influences which alter moods and tempo throughout the album. Two minutes in, you really do sit up and take notice of this. The vocal harmonics are fantastic.
Emotionalised is a very nice track, strongly art rock in its concept and execution, and pretty unique.
There are two versions of the title track for our enjoyment. The first is with vocals, and the closing track on the album is the instrumental version (same length). The track follows on naturally from Emotionalised, but at a faster pace. Steve Walsh of Kansas fame is amongst the guest musicians on this. His keys are fantastic. At turns, this track rocks, at others there are Flower Kings influences, at others very AOR Yes. In other words, a really eclectic mix and really very good. It rolls on at a cracking pace, but at five and a half minutes in you get what can only be described as pure jazz. The bass riff and drum pattern at the end are rather special. This is an incredible piece of music which lingers in the mind long after it has finished.
The jazz is back in Lost In Conversation, a real smorgasbord of a track, which moves from a jazz fusion to more expansive commercial rock as it progresses.
Standing At The Gates of Hell is five minutes of rock joy. The vocals are stunning and this must rank as one of the most meaningful climate crisis pieces ever written. We get more jazz, we get organ-led rock, we have sonic wall of sound at the end. This band are really one of the most interesting I have heard in many a year.
The class guest roster continues on The Chosen Ones. Jordan Rudess lends his keyboard maestro skills to this one. The drum solo by Jelly Cardarelli at the start is special. Rudess and his backdrop keys lend an element of class. There is once again a massive shift of pace midway through this track. For those who enjoy melodic instrumental interludes. then Sweet Asylum is for you. This leads into We Are Strong, which continues the acoustic theme before a lush bass underscores the most beautiful sensitive vocal you will hear all year. This is another 7+ minutes of class. The “We Are Strong” sequence is a joy. We have an upbeat, sunny sequence before the close brings back the sensitive vocal. Breathtakingly good and my favourite track here.
The penultimate track is All Of The Lights, a short piece which also has a fragile beauty to it and is the perect closer to the main album before we get the instrumental reprise of the title track.
There are prog rock fans who love to categorise and pigeonhole albums and artists. With Lalu, please don’t bother. This is eclectic rock music in the truest sense of the word. This band are one of the natural successors to the spirit of adventure which bands such as Yes brought us in their pomp. Brilliant and a masterpiece.