LEE ABRAHAM – Colours (2017)
“Colours” is the brand new album by LEE ABRAHAM, a talented British musician with a strong solo career but also known for playing bass for prog rockers Galahad between 2005 and 2009, who he has now since re-joined but as their guitarist.
Abraham has been busy on the solo front releasing a series of well received albums in the light Prog style, but on this new effort “Colours”, while still very much with a ‘proggy’ blueprint, he largely explores classic AOR sounds in the vein of TOTO, ASIA, and FM.
So it’s not surprising getting FM’s Steve Overland to sing on the naturally FM sounding ‘Always Yours’. Steve Overland never disappoints and he delivers another heartfelt vocal on this song.
This and ’Warning Sign’ are the two songs on here that are AOR through and through.
Lee Abraham is a very interesting guitarist with a quite unique style, but he uses external singers to perform his songs. All talented cats like the mentioned Steve Overland, Dec Burke (ex Frost*), Gary Chandler (Jadis), Robin Armstrong (Cosmograf) and more.
‘Find Another Way’ has a hint of Marillion with Robin Armstrong on vocals. Like all the songs on the album the musical arrangements are top notch. Plenty of keys, piano and guitar creating a magical musical mix.
While all are long compositions, all are divided in several parts or ‘songs inside the song’. All are very melodic and with excellent musicianship in a ‘bright mode’ akin ASIA.
The epic ‘The Mirror Falls’ completes the album in style, featuring Jadis’s Gary Chandler on vocals, along with the sublime piano playing of Rob Arnold. This song will please the prog rockers with its time changes and extended musical breaks.
However, the main melody and chorus though have their feet firmly in Melodic Rock land.
LEE ABRAHAM’s “Colours” is a wonderful album, taking prog rock to its most melodic ends and one that will appeal to those who enjoy TOTO, ASIA, and FM.
I would call it ‘proggy melodic rock’ but at many places it should be said ‘elaborated AOR’.
Anyway, it’s a really good album plenty of clever melodies and pristine production, which flows gorgeously.
HIGHLY Recommended
01 – Colours
02 – Broken Dreams
03 – Always Yours
04 – Find Another Way
05 – Warning Sign
06 – Survive
07 – The Mirror Falls
Lee Abraham – guitars, keyboards
Alistair Begg – bass
Rob Arnold – piano
Gerald Mulligan – drums
vocals by:
Dec Burke (Darwin’s Radio, Frost*, Audioplastik)
Marc Atkinson (Riversea, Nine Stones Close)
Gary Chandler (Jadis)
Simon Godfrey (Tinyfish, Shineback, Valdez)
Robin Armstrong (Cosmograf)
Steve Overland (FM, Overland)
BUY IT !
www.amazon.co.uk/Colours-Lee-Abraham/dp/B076JJQPQY
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