Brett Kull - Orange-ish Blue



1. Kisses in the Sun (5:02) 2. Mister Greenlight (3:13) 3. All the Rage (3:23) 4. So It Goes (4:07) 5. When I Dream (3:47) 6. Main Street (3:19) 7. 15 Hours (4:03) 8. Change (5:28) 9. Come on Joe (1:59) 10. Sometimes Love Forgets (3:34) 11. Untitled #1 (4:23) 12. I Won't Say Goodbye (4:53) 13. End (1:46)

Total Running Time: 49:18

It's a conspiracy, I tell you. First NDV, then Neal Morse's second solo album, and now this. It seems that someone in the high realms of prog wants to teach a lesson to all the miles and miles of recent no good pop stars that are disgustingly piled upon each other before you can even blink: it doesn't take a millionaire and an eighteen-year-old pretty face to write a good song; it takes talent. And Brett Kull delivers not only talent, but also proof that the sixties and seventies just don't want to die sometimes. Adopting the singer-songwriter guise this time around, the Echolyn alumnus has recorded a collection of ditties that your mother would probably hum along to, instead of the more electrifying take on pop that U2 or the defunct INXS are known for, but there is no questioning that Kull knows what he's doing every step of the way.

And although the material contained herein is rather harmless in its lyrical scope, the music surrounding it is varied, interesting, and with just enough spice to keep the listener hooked on its delectable melodies and harmonies. It's not the Zeppelin-like finale of "Change" or the bluesy sloth of "15 Hours," as those are more exceptions to the rule than anything else and thus immediately acquire a distinctive nature. It's that the majority of tracks on the record are brought forward with a sense of sweetened melancholy intertwined with pretty nostalgia that works really well when set against the less recurrent moments of good-humored romps of jolly mindlessness. And for some reason, although it most certainly isn't the dominating mood, the end impression is one of lovelorn ballads, rending Orange-ish Blue a sentimental affair of simple and direct emotional impact.

Yet directness in Kull's case is not equal to a one-dimensional focus of simple chords and endlessly repetitive progressions; it is the mere fact that the music lacks the curveballs usually found in progressive rock due to its different nature. Timely and well thought out arrangements are the heart of Orange-ish Blue several times, and although the underlying structure is quite simple, as it should be, the toppings leave it adorned in a wonderful manner. Even then, there will of course be people whose progressive addiction will keep them from being able to enjoy the simpler character of this record, which's strength relies on arrangements and vocal melodies more than anything, but for all interested in a well-crafted singer-songwriter album from the heart, this is where you should put your money.

-by Marcelo Silveyra

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