| The
Review |
You know what it’s like when you
take something for granted so much you end up ignoring it.
You’ve done that right. Read or heard about a band thinking
well I’ll have to check’em out sometime, but then ‘sometime’
never seems to come. Then one day you end up with a copy of
a band’s CD, you put it on and it just blows you away. And
you ask yourself, how come I didn’t pay attention to this
band? Well that’s my experience with Salem Hill. I recently
received a copy of Mimi’s Magic Moment, thinking I knew what
to expect. Boy was I wrong. It was nothing like I expected.
Within seconds of putting the CD on and listening to the first
track “The Joy Gem” it suddenly became Jerry’s Magic Moment.
WOW! ***
As I said, I’d heard about Salem
Hill, read about them in the magazines and such but simply
didn’t have a good idea of what they sounded like. By way
of background, the band was formed in 1991 by Carl Groves
(vocals, guitars, keyboards), Pat Henry (bass, vocals) and
Kevin Thomas (vocals, drums). They were soon joined by Michael
Dearing (vocals, guitars, keyboards) and the magic began.
Their goal, like so many others in the world of progressive
rock was to create music that was creative and didn’t necessarily
stick to the traditional boundaries. Their first release,
a self titled CD appeared the following year in 1992. Seven
releases later and we have their eighth and latest recording
entitled Mimi’s Magic Moment. ***
Here in just over an hour are four
epic compositions clocking in at 15, 7, 21 and 19 minutes.
Each piece chock full of symphonic flourish showcasing a wide
variety of musical styles, instrumentation, and guest musicians.
All that said this is a sound that I’ve not heard before,
Salem Hill have crafted a sound that is very much their own.
Some have said there are hints of Kansas but that may be more
due to the fact that David Ragsdale shows up on violin on
two tracks. Rich vocal harmonies and memorable hooks are scattered
throughout these sprawling compositions. Each piece has lots
of room for time and tempo shifts which are matched by plenty
of space for solo efforts and dramatic mood changes to create
a very uplifting feel that pervades the entire disc. The 20
minute “All Fall Down” is classic in it’s use of lush orchestral
arrangements one moment only to turn-on-a-dime to displays
lots of space…room for one or two instruments to work a musical
motif that bridges one part of the song to another. There
is so much to listen for and appreciate here. ***
Having recorded at least three
concept albums already, Salem Hill chose to go in another
direction with Mimi’s Magic Moment, choosing instead to take
4 ideas and create what might be considered mini-concept-epics.
So just as musically there is much to listen for, lyrically
there is much to sink your teeth into as well. I mentioned
guest musicians and these include not only David Ragsdale,
but Neal Morse, Alyssa Hendrix, Jeff Eacho and Fred Schendel.
***
I don’t know why I’ve never looked
into Salem Hill before, but after listening to Mimi’s Magic
Moment I’m sure about to correct my oversight. How could I
have been so blind? This is a word to the wise out there;
don’t be like me, get hold of a copy of Salem Hill’s new CD
as soon as you can. If you’re a fan of bands like Spock’s
Beard or Glass Hammer you’ll love Mimi’s Magic Moment. When
it comes to symphonic prog, Salem Hill ranks right up there
with the best of them. Highly Recommended. ***
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