‘Voiceless’ is, as the name might imply, an enjoyable instrumental cd with “right hand man” Chris Longo on drums and Rich Antonelli playing everything else.
There’s plenty to enjoy in this atmospheric and varied cd. There are a lot of challenging tempo changes, melodic guitar harmonies and solo, all of which are things I enjoy! The drumming is solid throughout too, which keeps the music interesting.
The stand out tracks for me were ‘Mechanical Presence’, with its catchy riffs, tempo changes and fluid soloing. Another highlight was ‘Groovy Tuesday’ which has a chunky riff and melodic solos, whilst ‘Brie’s Song’ and ‘Hannah’s Song’ are both slower, soulful pieces which build into yet more good guitar playing. If the CD has a fault it is that there’s nothing particularly new here, but then reinventing the wheel is not always possible or desirable and it’s a good cd just the same.
Also worth noting is that the proceeds of the cd go to a Children’s Hospital, which, reading between the lines, saved the lives of his kids. Whatever motivation lies behind the gesture, however, you can’t argue with money going to a good cause and the CD, overall, is an enjoyable one. Don’t expect anything too out of the ordinary and you’ll find plenty to admire on ‘voiceless’.
Album review: Chris Greenwood
