23.10.12

Neal Schon The Calling 2012

In his endless port folio of guitar playing, Neal Schon added one more multi style instrumental album. The Calling is a mix of rock and light jazz instrumental works. With all his mastery on notes, this is the logical output rather than the common shredding rock album. Neal had been dealing with top AOR band, Journey for most of his career, with side project as in Hardline back in '90. Pulling out solo project among his busy schedule is a gift to us, guitar fans.

For bluesy rock listen to The Calling and True Emotions. Then there is Blue Rainbow Sky, also bluesy ballad dedicated for Ronnie James Dio. Carnival Jazz is thick in jazz especially the piano solo by Igor Len. We also have 3/4 meter in hard rock groove in Six String Waltz. Want a Pink Floyd unusual composition, here come Fifty Six. Of course a standard rock as in Back Smash is enjoyable intense guitar playing. There is a Neal Schon noted on each track down there.

The Calling come in very rich in colors and styles. Steve Smith provide drum for all, Neal is covering the bass also, then keyboard players Igor Len and Jan Hammer complete the line up. There isn't any much super speed thing, but all notes are well composed. This is a work about composition mastery rather than skill. This is an album that can stay quite long in my cd player.

Metalharem class: ********* nine stars out of ten

Neal Schon The Calling 2012
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01 - The Calling
02 - Carnival jazz
03 - Six String Waltz
04 - Irish Field
05 - Back Smash
06 - Fifty Six
07 - True Emotion
08 - Tumbleweeds
09 - Primal Surge
10 - Blue Rainbow Sky
11 - Transonic Funk
12 - Song Of The Wind II











“The Calling” Album Track By Track By Neal Schon
1. The Calling
Neal Schon (guitar, bass), Steve Smith (drums), Igor Len (keyboards). This song has a cool mixture of blues, eastern melodies, rockin’ riffs, and some slammin’ solo improvisation.

2. Carnival Jazz
Neal Schon (guitar, bass), Steve Smith (drums), Igor Len (keyboards). Igor plays great acoustic piano on this track. To me it’s a cool mixture of rockin’ melody and jazz

3. Six String Waltz
Neal Schon (guitar, bass) Steve Smith (drums), Igor Len (keyboards, orchestration). This track has an old Journey feel to it.

4. Irish Field
This track features just two guitars and a little imagination of a beautiful open field. This one is for M:)

5. Back Smash
Neal Schon (guitar, bass), Steve Smith (drums), Igor Len (keyboards, synthesizer solo). I originally wanted to use a couple of vocalists on this track. It didn’t pan out so I turned it into an instrumental.

6. Fifty Six
Neal Schon (guitar, bass), Steve Smith (drums), Igor Len (piano, orchestration), Jan Hammer (Moog synthesizer solo). This track originally started out with a cool drum part that Steve Smith came up. The track has an eastern flavor to it that I love, featuring electric sitar. This has an early Journey prog rock vibe to it.

7. True Emotion
Neal Schon (guitar, bass), Steve Smith (drums), Igor Len (keyboards). This features a classical blues vibe with a cool Hendrix-type vibe in the middle.

8. Tumbleweeds
This track features me on guitars and bass, Igor Len (orchestration), Steve Smith (drums), plus special guest Jan Hammer playing Moog solos.

9. Primal Surge
This is a great song for sports channels! I play guitars and bass, Igor Len on keyboards and Steve Smith on drums. I love the embodied melody in the song.

10. Blue Rainbow Sky
This track is a dedication to Ronnie James Dio the night he died outside my house - the sky was blue and it’s that feeling that was the inspiration for the recording.

11. Transonic Funk
Just a cool funky jam with Steve Smith (drums) and Igor (keyboards).

12. Song Of The Wind II
This track was directly inspired by the first Song of the Wind off the first Santana Caravanseri record. I recorded this with the guys in the last 30 minutes of our sessions.

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