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Since electronic instrumentation made its appearance in popular music, it has almost entirely supplanted acoustic instrumentation, not only in rock and electronic music but also in pop. The expression "acoustic guitar" is clearly a retronym - an expression indicating something that already existed but has been reinvented in a new version - a term made necessary for distinction purposes following the invention of the electric guitar.
Every now and then, someone decides that we need to rediscover where we came from, to relive the beauty of that acoustic music which over time has taken on an almost obsolete connotation. Occasionally, someone offers acoustic reinterpretations of their songs or presents their repertoire in dedicated live acoustic sets, often with a very intimate character... and sometimes, someone decides to compose brand new acoustic music, breaking the electric convention.
This is what James LaBrie, the controversial and debated vocalist of Dream Theater, has decided to do. After a solo debut that was almost nu-metal ("Elements of Persuasion," for me, is a sort of "Hybrid Theory" with solos) and two follow-ups with vaguely metalcore traits, the Canadian singer decided to set aside metal to create a fundamentally acoustic album. A choice that proved successful in several respects.
It is not a completely unplugged album, keyboards are indeed present to accompany, as well as some electric guitar inserts can be found here and there, but the foundations are acoustic, the acoustic guitars are the great protagonists and the cornerstone of everything, and everything revolves around them. This process involves not only the rhythmic part but also the solo part, where beautiful acoustic solos can be found, not exactly rare but still infrequent enough in traditional musical landscapes to make us almost forget how beautiful these acoustic solos are.
However, one shouldn't expect a rustic and rural work either, in other words, it is not a folk album, it does have a summery and sunny flavor that evokes blue skies and green fields but does not have such a rural soul, everything remains quite urban. The imprint remains rock, with solid drumming (his son Chance is on the drums), a powerful voice, and that hint of underlying grit. We can confidently say that it is acoustic rock; it’s a rock album played with acoustic guitars. If we imagined replacing the acoustic guitars with electric ones, we would realize that the transition would be absolutely natural, with no forcefulness; in fact, this work has been done on one track, the first track is replicated in electric version in the last track, and it’s impressive to note how natural the conversion is.
Rightfully though, being the album of a singer, it’s necessary to say a few words about his vocal performance, even more so since he is one of the most hated and criticized vocalists worldwide. It might sound strange, but here his performance is convincing, though it must be said that he chose an approachable path, the melodic and acoustic sounds allow him to play better with his voice, his tone appears varied and well-modulated depending on the moment to be interpreted, yet he is fully convincing even when the register rises, showing grit without being annoying, as has sometimes happened in recent times. In truth, he was also convincing in the latest Dream Theater album; it seems that at least in the studio, LaBrie is there. However, better to draw a veil over his live performances; on stage, he seems really finished, as demonstrated recently at Rock In Rio, where he even relied on pre-recorded tracks to make up for his deficiencies!
Solo venture passed with flying colors, a wise and perhaps even somewhat cunning choice.
Tracklist
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