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Vol. 13, No. 6: Dec.-Jan. 2008
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| Rullian "Chameleons In Disguise": Independent Review
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Rullian
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Review of "Chameleons In Disguise"
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By: Matthew Hoffman
The brainchild of "uber-guitarista" Raoul Ranoa is
back with a sonic-funk journey through the time and
space continuum. How do you characterize the
uncharacterizable? That is the question.
This album at times is a James Bond soundtrack from
the '70s, while others is the music behind Starsky and
Hutch during an intriguing chase scene filled with
300hp cars and cheap cologne. Other times like track
five "Kite Ride to Anywhere" there are touching
emotional ballads filled with enough tears to tip a
barrel. Then it's off into the inter-galactic realm
with cuts like "Fugitive Micron Particles" a cut full
of space age techno babble and lots of flair. Then
there are beautiful stringed instruments (viola
,violin) played by Ann Hackman on "Three Blue Moons in
a Row" that make this album so much more then the
funk-fusion one may expect from the first few tracks.
More diversity is seen and seemingly explored on
"Proper Stella and the Irish Wolfhound" a song that is
a folk-rock Renaissance Faire joint. Back in the 21st
Century drummer Will Bagby shows his talents in an
extraordinary fashion on "Reynolds Rap."
Folks, you can see the extreme diversity here and that
is both a pro and a con to the listener, as the album
has no real flow or cohesion; it is simply 26 separate
rock-fusion tracks. If you are looking for a guitar
virtuoso album, this is certainly not it. If you are a
fan of any genre of metal, this will not wet your
palette either. All in all though, if you simply want
good music to listen and relax to, this is one of the
most unique quality offerings in years!
Buy one put it in the changer and you will have the
perfect background music for date night, that's for
sure. This may even be perfect for a long arduous car
ride where you do not want to hear the person you are
traveling with ramble on. Put this in, relax and
enjoy. I commend Ranoa for going outside the paradigm
and creating quality music, not being forced to
constantly shred or show off. Bravo Raoul. Bravo.
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Matthew Hoffman / Hard Rock Haven
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