FRANK WYATT & FRIENDS: Zeitgeist (PROGRESSIVE ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Frank Wyatt's reputation is well established. From Happy The Man to Pedal Giant Animals to Oblivion Sun, the American keyboardist has been involved in numerous projects throughout his career, which has spanned nearly 50 years.

After he was diagnosed with cancer 5 years ago, doctors revealed to the musician that he had little time left to live. It was then that Franck Wyatt set himself a final challenge by releasing his solo album "Zeitgeist". The perfect opportunity for our strong man to surround himself with many musician friends (14 participants in total!) to complete his beautiful career.

The first contact with the album comes from the artwork, remarkably beautiful, enough to give the listener the desire to immerse himself totally in the keyboardist's universe. For almost an hour, the musicians ventured into very diverse regions. We will find rock fusion ('Twelve Jumps' and 'Zeitgeist' whose theme repeated many times is reminiscent of Jordan Rudess' 'Wired For Madness'), ballads ('Eleventh Hour'), jazz rock ('Twelve Jumps'), a strong symphonic side ('The Approach'), and even classical music ('Perelandra').

Considering his past and the richness of his career, it is obvious that the leader has nothing more to prove with this album. The fact that it's probably his last album gives this opus a personal side, an almost intimate dimension. We feel that Franck Wyatt enjoys experimenting different horizons, and that's quite normal.

But this experimental side, although totally justified, sometimes makes the whole relatively hermetic. In the end, the album is almost instrumental, except for a few rare vocal interventions ('Zeitgeist' and 'Eleventh Hour'), and this quasi-absence tends to be a problem in the long run, whereas it could have allowed some adventurous tracks to refocus a bit.

The album ends with a piece of classical music divided into four parts: 'To Venus', 'The Green Lady', 'The Golden Feast' and 'Blessed Be He'. An original idea, but here again, it lacks the strong ideas or highlights that we like to find in the genre so much. It's beautiful, it's changing, it's rich, but it's difficult to adhere to it, especially since the four parts are not necessarily linked to each other. The 'Golden Feast' part raises the level with inspired string sections. Also note the beautiful finale 'Blessed Be He' which brings an epic and symphonic touch to the work.

If 'Zeitgeist' is not a very accessible album, its diversity makes it an interesting album. Now, we can only wish Franck Wyatt a good continuation if this album is really his last one and, above all, that the music helps him to overcome his illness for good. - Official website

FRANK WYATT & FRIENDS

ZEITGEIST

GLASS ONYON

PROGRESSIVE ROCK