Album review: DAVID MINASIAN – The Sound Of Dreams

DAVID MINASIAN - The Sound Of Dreams

Golden Robot Records [Release date 11.09.20]

An American film producer, screenwriter, director, and a musician, singer and songwriter, David Minasian’s work includes music videos and concert films for Camel, and Moody Blues frontman Justin Hayward.

Which goes some way to explaining the plethora of rock ‘royalty’ who appear on the follow up to Minasian’s acclaimed 2010 release Random Acts Of Beauty – Justin Hayward, Annie Haslam, Steve Hackett , Billy Sherwood (Yes), PJ Olsson (Alan Parsons), and Julia Ragins (The Moody Blues).

And whereas Random Acts Of Beauty was highlighted by Andy Latimer’s first studio recording in eight years, The Sound Of Dreams has been making ripples in Prog circles with two singles – So Far From Home featuring vocalist PJ Olsson, lead singer for the Alan Parsons Live Project; and The Sound of Dreams (Third Movement) featuring Steve Hackett.

Heavily influenced by the symphonic style of the likes of the of The Moodies, BJH, and Renaissance, there’s much to be admired here, both in construction and delivery and while some might argue that The Sound Of Dreams brings nothing new to the table, it plays to the strengths of the guest artists with the numbers they appear on virtually indistinguishable from their own works.

Swathes of plush symphonic keys, meandering piano lines (Minasian is a classically trained pianist) and languid guitar lines (courtesy of Minasian’s son Justin) dominate proceedings in a way rarely heard these days. And where the guests appear – Annie Haslam is in particularly fine form – it’s the icing on an already sumptuous slice of symphonic rock.

So if you thought the genre was flat lining, think again. ***1/2

Review by Pete Whalley

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