Project Shangri-La

Untitled Document This is the first album by Lana Lane that I have heard in it's entirety. I have heard a few tracks by her over the years and was certainly impressed by her voice. I must make it very clear to the readers here.... THIS IS NOT A METAL ALBUM......if this is totally unacceptable to you........click on the next review link in the top right corner............ For those of you still reading on I guess, like me, you prefer to keep an open mind about other types of rock music as well as metal. This album definitely fits in the progressive rock category with some hard rock and almost (note the word "almost") metal like instrumental passages with double-bass drumming and guitar riffs. I have always been a progressive rock fan and have closely followed bands like Yes, E.L.P., Pink Floyd and Genesis over the years. It's been a while since I've heard anything new in this genre of music as I have been blasting my ears with metal for the last 20 years or so (the ultimate musical form no doubt!!!). I really had to break away from the Rage, Iron Savior, and Iced Earth that I have been listening to lately to really give this release an honest review. Lana Lane is really the brainchild of Lana and keyboardist/producer Erik Norlander. The rest of the musicians are either session players or other more noteable players from the music business. On the current tour, along with Erik Norlander on keyboards, is Arjen Anthony Lucassen, guitar, (from the Ayreon project) and Vinnie Appice (Dio, Black Sabbath) on drums. The first thing I noticed was how much Lana's voice reminded me of Ann Wilson from Heart. This was reaffirmed after visiting her website and noticed that Ann Wilson is listed as her favorite vocalist and that Heart's Dreamboat Annie and Little Queen are her top 2 favorite albums. Most of the music is lush and laid back with Lana's angelic voice and only a couple of tracks really have any muscle. The majority have an almost medieval feel, and the use of mandolins in parts gives a celtic flavor to some of the tracks. The opening instrumental Redemption Part I consists of string synthesizer and piano with some very slow and expressive lead guitar, sounding a bit like Andrew Latimer from the British Prog. rock group Camel. The title track Project Shangri-La, contains some harder rock-style drumming but still maintains a very progressive feel. Her voice sounds quite beautiful and angelic-like on this track. The Nightingale is a very atmospheric song with little instrumentation, leaving Lana's voice to paint a very surreal picture in your mind. The Beast Within You opens with a harpsichord melody and moves into a heavy guitar and double-bass drum passage and is one of the heavier songs on the album. The song has a very memorable chorus and some cool harpsichord/guitar trade-off riffs mid-song. I wish there were more tracks like this on this album!!. (Life Is) Only A Dream is another up-temp driving song with guitar riffs throughout and a hard rock (almost metal-like) tempo to it. Time To Say Goodbye is a ballad sung almost entirely in Italian (except for the chorus) and ends as a duet with Mark Boals (Yngwie Malmsteen). A very powerful and emotional song. Redemption Part II, another instrumental, features drums and bass with guitar and organ melody lines and has a Dream Theater feel to it. The bonus track Romeo and Juliet is a modern version of the classic tale as far as the lyrics and storyline go and contains some cool chunky guitar and double-bass drum passages. It ends with some very, very cool Hammond organ swells sounding very much like Ken Hensley from one of my favorite 70's bands, Uriah Heep. Other tracks on this release range from nice ballads to more mid-tempo and use lots of acoustic guitar and keyboards as the main instruments. I wasn't sure about this album after the first few tracks but after listening to all of it a few times, I can see the attraction here for some people. It's just a nice laid back album and is a refreshing change to the ears. I still drag out my old Camel, Yes and Genesis albums once in a while for a change of pace from what I normally listen to, and this album has the same sort of feel to it. Her voice is amazing but even though the passion is there in her voice, some songs seem to be lacking a spirit and punch. Even in some of the more laid back or mellower Yes material, Jon Anderson's voice just soars and gives the whole song a very powerful, spirited and uplifting feel. That's what's missing from her music. All the elements are there to create some truly wonderful and very spirited progressive rock but there's a few tracks that just don't really do much for me. If you're a fan of progressive rock and like a great female voice, this release is certainly worth checking out. I definitely will listen to this album again but I'd have to recommend that if you're curious about her material, listen to some of it before purchasing one of her albums. She has lots of fans and is headlining a Progressive Rock Festival in France in May. Others may have a totally different opinion of her music and love things that just don't do much for me. Remember though, with the review format of this site..............it's just my opinion .......