Keith Emerson Band featuring Marc Bonilla

March 2, 2009
Tags: ,

I guess at this stage in the game, Keith Emerson won’t be going out of his way to try and win over new fans. Legacy artists like Emerson already have a built-in fan base to feed off of. All they have to do is release product that’ll connect with all those existing fans. And I’m pretty sure that was part of the plan with Emerson’s latest release – Keith Emerson Band featuring Marc Bonilla. Long time listeners of Emerson, Lake and Palmer will feel right at home with this new album. The basic elements from ELP are all here – bombastic prog fused with classical bits along with some melodic rock thrown in for good measure. There’s even the requisite honky-tonk number on the album (“Gametime”). I totally enjoy Emerson’s playing and would have personally preferred a completely instrumental album. He’s got some great musicians here including Marc Bonilla on guitar and Gregg Bissonette on drums but whenever Bonilla starts singing, it just feels derivative of ELP’s past work. Bonilla even sounds sort of like Greg Lake. “A Place to Hide” is probably the most listenable vocal-based track on the album but most of the others are just marred with clunky lyrics and bland melodies.

retroGrade : C

—
Keith Emerson – Prelude to a Hope

—

Keith Emerson Band featuring Marc Bonilla
label: Edel
released: October 2008
Produced by Marc Bonilla and Keith Wechsler

Musicians:
Keith Emerson: concert grand piano, Hammong C3 Organ, Custom Moog Modular Synth, Korg OASYS, pipe organ, Reaktor, diatonic accordion, slide whistle, vocals
Marc Bonilla: guitars, lead vocals, bass, Reaktor, harmonica
Gregg Bissonette: drums, percussion
Bob Birch: bass
Travis Davis: bass on “The Parting”, harmony vocals
Joe Travers: drums on “The Art Of Falling Down”
Keith Wechsler: Jew’s harp on “Gametime”
Nathanial Bonilla: recorder on “The Parting”

TrackList:
The House Of Ocean Born Mary (inspired by a ghost story from Marion Lowndes)
1. Ignition (1:42)
2. 1st Presence (0:37)
3. Last Horizon (2:32)
4. Miles Away Pt. 1 (1:54)
5. Miles Away Pt. 2 (2:15)
6. Crusaders Cross (1:13)
7. Fugue (0:37)
8. 2nd Presence (0:18)
9. Marche Train (6:12)
10. Blue Inferno (1:12)
11. 3rd Presence (1:07)
12. Prelude To A Hope (2:23)
13. A Place To Hide (4:25)
14. Miles Away Pt. 3 (2:31)
15. Finale (5:57)
-
16. The Art Of Falling Down (3:30)
17. Malambo from Estancia Suite (Alberto Ginastera) (5:33)
18. Gametime (2:39)
19. The Parting (4:44)

All tracks written by Keith Emerson and Marc Bonilla (except 17)
Total Time 51:21
—


—

Related posts:

  1. 3 – Live in Boston 1988 – Keith Emerson – Robert Berry – Carl Palmer
  2. Keith Emerson – Letter from the Front
  3. Keith Emerson and Greg Lake to tour in April 2010
  4. The Neal Schon Band – live dates in March 2010
  5. The Lou Gramm Band – CD review

Filed under:
music, reviews by retroDan

Leave a Reply