Courtesy of the band, I have received a review copy of this excellent debut album from Welsh rockers Sankara. Formed from the ashes of the initial excellent The Reasoning lineup, here is a band that is destined for great things.
As with their previous release, the Enigma CD EP, this album transcends a slightly pedestrian production and mix. This is a band that should be concentrating on the American market, as the potential there is enormous for the AOR they so skillfully produce. I hope they are sending copies of the album to the US majors, and leading rock stations stateside. They should appeal to the Fleetwood Mac, Boston and Heart market.
In Gareth Jones, the band have a singer of rare distinction. His voice is strong and characterful. That said, probably the best song on this 10-track album is actually a duet with Maria Owen Midlane of Noterminus. The song is "The Doll's House." Here, Gareth's keyboard work is really special and the way the two voices blend is inspiring.
Other songs here feature far more of Jay MacDonald's guitar. With a modern cutting tone, it is the foundation of tracks such as "The Harm Priniciple" and "Chasing The Sun." There are apocalyptic visions and a certain fatalistic quality to tracks such as "In God We Trust" and "Stolen Moments."
You can listen to a stream of this very fine album at the band's website http://sankara.co.uk/, so you can hear the quality of the performances for yourself. The stream quality is pretty good, but you really need the CD to appreciate the performances and the quality of the songwriting to the full. The CD is presented in a proper jewel case with fine artwork. It's available from Amazon worldwide at a very reasonable price. You can also download it via Amazon and iTunes.
The band has just completed a short tour with Noterminus. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to catch them this time around as things in Trisectormanland have been rather difficult. However, I have promised myself I'll catch them next time around. I recommend that you do the same. In the meantime, treat yourself to a copy of this outstanding release.
