Roye Albrighton - "The Follies Of Rupert Treacle"
(Rupert Music 1999)
From Aural Innovations #7 (July 1999)
For those of you who were starting to think the much discussed Nektar reunion is a bust we've now got evidence that Roye Albrighton is serious about releasing new music in some form. Roye's first solo album is, if I'm not mistaken, the first available recording since 1983's Grand Alliance project. I always considered Nektar to be one of the 70's most exciting bands as from one album to the next they managed to do something new without losing that indelible Nektar sound. And their album, Journey To The Center Of The Eye, is a classic that should be part of any serious spacerock fan's collection.
Roye's new album is a laid back affair that may not appeal to many AI readers. But if you're also a general prog rock fan then here's what we've got... Rupert Treacle is a collection of beautiful songs that remind me of Camel, Anthony Phillips, and even Sting at times. Roye plays all the instruments, but note that while there is some really nice guitar playing the focus here is on the songs. The man has been around a long time and shows here that he can whip out a lick that may be a fill, but is a gorgeously tasteful one that serves to embellish the song as a whole. Roye utilizes keyboards and synths to help give it all a full band sound. He even includes of cover of Roy Orbison's "It's Over", which I didn't recognize but Debbie did. I'm playing the disc and she's saying she knows the song. I'm insisting she can't cause it's all new stuff. Then I took a peak at the liner notes. Good call Deb. It's nice to see that Roye is back and, for those who didn't know, he is recovering from a recent liver transplant.
You can visit Roye Albrighton at his web site.
Click here to visit an informative Nektar web site.
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz