Electronic Rock, Progressive, Fusion

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ROCK: Instrumental Rock, ROCK: Progressive Rock



Details:
Roger Powell - Fossil Poets

In the 70âs and 80âs Rogerâs groundbreaking electronic synthesizer albums Cosmic Furnace (Atlantic) and Air Pocket (Bearsville) were hailed as masterworks. A protégé of Robert Moog (Inventor of the Moog Synthesizer), Powell went on to create otherworldly synth textures for Todd Rundgren and Utopia.

âEven among the keyboard titans of the prog-rock Seventies, Roger Powell always stood out.â (Future Music U.S. Ed.- June â06). Legendary synth wiz Roger Powell returns with an all-new, groove oriented, retro-futuristic solo flight entitled Fossil Poets.


Fossil Poets
Roger Powell

Review
by Greg Prato

Quite a few years have passed since fans have heard anything from former Utopia keyboardist Roger Powell. The last he was spotted, he was part of a brief Utopia tour of Japan (documented on the Redux '92: Live in Japan DVD), yet rumors spread that after the tour, he had all but retired from the music biz. Then, from seemingly out of nowhere, 2006 saw the appearance of Powell's first solo release in a dog's age, Fossil Poets. Joined by guitarist/bassist Greg Koch (with producer Gary Tanin adding some extra synth parts, as well), Fossil Poets is an entirely instrumental affair. But instead of focusing on their playing chops (as most instrumental rock albums do), the songs are mostly about creating texture, including the ambient album opener, "Lone Gunmen,â and the robotic "Fallout Shelter.â Elsewhere, Koch provides some tasty Jeff Beck-esque guitar work (circa Beck's classic Blow by Blow/Wired period) on "Test Drive" and "Osmosis." Although Fossil Poets won't be challenging the Dixie Chicks for the top of the album charts anytime soon, longtime Utopia fans will surely be pleased with the album that signals Powell's return from the "missing person's list."

Rating
3.5 - Stars

Release Date
Oct 24, 2006


Powell, Roger: Fossil Poets

Finding himself now on the same label (Inner Knot) as King Crimson, Robert Fripp, John Paul Jones, and Bill Bruford, former Todd Rundgren & Utopia synthesizer wiz Roger Powell returns with his latest retro-futuristic solo album titled Fossil Poets. Fans of the keyboard master fully know of the man's talents, as evident on other solo albums like Cosmic Furnace, Air Pocket, Utopia releases such as Another Live, Road to Utopia, Oops! Wrong Planet, as well as the multi-platinum Bat Out of Hell from Meat Loaf and David Bowie's
Lodger. Fossil Poets is a groove-laden mix of lite-fusion, futuristic prog
rock, and ambient/electronic soundscapes, featuring the multi-faceted
attack from Powell and his array of keyboards, the tasty guitar playing
of Greg Koch, and additional synths, songwriting, and production
courtesy of Gary Tanin.

Roger's got his Minimoog Voyager, Nord Modular, Korg MS-2000, and
many other instruments (including mandolin, flugelhorn, and flute)
dusted off for this release, and you can read all the different keyboards
he used on the inside of the digipack. Listen to those snarling Hammond
tones and funky synth pads on "Creme Fraiche", a groovy number
where Powell shares the lead spotlight with Koch and his Jeff Beck-like
licks. "Lone Gunman" is a great proggy piece with no shortage of
textured synth washes and effective lead melodies, and "Tribe By Fire"
is a nice ethnic piece with flutes, Koch's fluttering lead guitar, and 70's
styled electric piano passages. On "Peaceful Uprising", Powell lets loose
with some wild synth blasts amidst manic electronic drums, while Koch
bursts through the gate on "Serpentine" with some lethal guitar solos
over some bubbling synth patterns from Powell. You'll again be
reminded of Jeff Beck, especially the Guitar Shop era, on the kickin'
"Fallout Shelter", complete with rampaging guitar licks and plenty of
futuristic keyboards.

If there's any fault with Fossil Poets, it's that some of the songs follow
an all too similar path, but that can be overlooked as the playing here is
quite good. Really, what do we expect from a pro like Roger Powell?
Quality, that's what, and along with some scorching guitar work from
Greg Koch, Fossil Poets is a very strong release from this veteran
keyboard wizard.

Rating
4 - Stars