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Magenta Aura (Darryl Way) — The Rock Artist's Progress
(Cherry Red SOUMCD100, 2022, CD)

by Jon Davis, Published 2023-09-04

The Rock Artist's Progress Cover art

After a pair of instrumental albums (Destinations 1 and Destinations 2), Darryl Way has come up with The Rock Artist’s Progress, a vocal-oriented concept work. The ten songs present a story as told in a new novel by Charles Shorwell that accompanies the album — or rather the album provides a musical illustration of the book. The story involves a young man studying classical piano at the Royal Academy of Music in 1968 who leaves school to pursue the dream of fame in rock music. Of course he goes through good times and bad times, dealing with unscrupulous managers, the temptations of drugs and sex, and all manner of other tribulations. I’ve skimmed some of the novel’s 336 pages, and frankly I’d say it’s poorly written and full of clichés — not to mention typos. Unfortunately, the music is perfectly matched to the book. It’s a set of mainstream rock tunes with little to distinguish them from anything else. There are a few nice moments here and there, as on the rocked-up classical pastiche of “Chaconne,” but for the most part, it’s entirely forgettable. Way plays very little violin on the album, relying more on guitar and keyboards for the music. I can’t speak for the world in general, but I don’t need another song about the trials of a musician on the road unless it’s got something new to say, or at least some really clever ways of saying the things we’ve all heard before. Given Darryl Way’s illustrious history, it makes me a little sad to say I can’t recommend The Rock Artist’s Progress. Maybe there are some listeners (and readers) out there who will enjoy it, and I won’t begrudge them their entertainment, but it’s not for me.

Filed under: New releases, 2022 releases

Related artist(s): Darryl Way / Wolf, Steve Hogarth

More info
http://burningshed.com/magenta-aura_the-rock-artists-progress_cd

 

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