Reviews "Evolution" is a modern-day masterpiece, a perfect marriage of music and ideas; very soul-stirring, indeed. Taken from purely a musical standpoint, the guitars and drums are the standout instruments, with Roger Fisher's excellent lead voice leading the vision orchestra to the nether regions of the listener's soul. If you are alive, you WILL be inspired by this compendium of lyrical and musical soul-searching. To say Roger Fisher was just a guitar player in Heart is akin to saying that Picasso was just another painter...be prepared to be very pleasantly surprised by a master musician, songwriter, and, above all, TEACHER.
I received your Evolution cd, yesterday and wow was I totally blown away! It made me realize how much I had missed the sound you and Mike and Steve had in the early days of Heart. Even though this cd is totally different, I would recognize your guitar playing anywhere. You have always been one of my favorites. I play guitar too. I started right after I heard "Crazy on You". That was the 1st lick I learned, and I drove my family crazy with it. I saw you guys in concert a few times. Will you be touring anytime soon? If you do will you come to Tulsa, OK? I hope so. I love Evolution. My fave songs are Just Believe, Pray for Love, Hangin and One More time. Just writing to say that I REALLY ENJOYED your CD's. It took me awhile to SIT and listen (undisturbed), BUT I finally did. Actually, I've been BLASTING "Standing, Looking Up" in my car to and from work (reminded me of Alan Parsons Project...the production was so crisp....I was surprised that there weren't any VOCALS...however, the guitar is KILLER)..........I KNEW that I would have to set aside some "quality" listening space for "Evolution"......and I'm sooooo glad I did here at home curled up like a ball with my headphones blaring. I gave it three different spins undisturbed over the course of three weeks..........what can I say(?)..I'm BLOWN AWAY! Man, you've got it going on...and your lyrics are really DEEP. I'm so delighted with this CD! My fav tracks are THE WHOLE THING! (ha ha ha)....no, really.......my fav's are "One Vision"(what a rocker)......"Pray For Love" (I love this one the most...I cried when I first listened)......"S,S & S"(wow....what a simple yet DEEP statement)....and "Hangin'".....this one really affected me because I have a dear friend from my past in this exact situation right now and I'm really upset because he just disconnected his phone recently (he's in Colorado), and I'm afraid for him because he's really depressed. You mentioned in your liner notes that the friend you wrote this to "never got to hear it".......that's really sad. What can I say Rog....you are probably the MOST underrated FAB guitar player in this day & age of plastic heartless/soul-less music (the COMMERCIAL world...not the Indie World). While listening, I was also very impressed with your VOCALS! I never knew you could SING! You've got a nice voice. It's great that you've moved on and found your OWN sound after all that HEART drama..(behind the music-VH1...that guitar smashing incident on stage...SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!)....I (like MANY of my HEARTMONGER friends) still wish that the original HEART would reunite and tour! You guys were awesome....ANN & NANCY have really blossomed on their own since that time, but there's nothing like the ORIGINAL.....I still listen to the first four HEART albums(uh...I have them on CD now!)...they BLOW AWAY all of this SHIT we hear today on commercial radio.....It still amazes me how you guys made those FAB records. Congratulations on your SOLO pursuits! You've got a good thing going!
Editor's note from CD Baby: "This is one of the most amazing cd packages you'll ever see. Everybody at the office is gathered around saying "Wow" at this! Highly recommended." I would like to take some time to critique your work from a nonprofessional view. As a fellow Redfield attentive, some of these responses reflect his writings. All my listening was done through top of line equipment in pro logic surround sound, pink noised equalized with some reverb added. 1. Soul Revelation - beckons to my roots and focuses my thoughts toward a mystical earthly message. The prelude of water falling... to me, symbolically represents a baby being born and shedding tears. The chants make me wonder what the verbal talk actually represents - good catch. A nice lead at end with plucking of strings in the "divinity of goddess chorus" kinda the birth of an instrument beyond drums. This one I need to explore more with headphones at higher volume. A+ 2. Awaken - Transitional, this obviously throws us into now. The repetitious drum rhythm and vocals bring focus to life's ongoing journey. The guitar starts to resemble a theme of energy equals spirit. The Martian choir is neat. This song made its point but falls short instrumentally for me - it needs a little more variety. B- 3. One Vision - Begin with small steps and pick up speed. Great drums. This is the kind of rock I enjoy most. The feeling of being found and having a direction is a force of strength only god could give. The lyrics are right on the mark. I am actually beside myself. I just don't hear music like this anymore. Engaging the flow, whether by relationship or critical mass appeal, is what I can hear here. A++ 4. Evolution - Heartfelt rumination. Diachronic lyrics push the feeling of love to its eternal necessities. Awareness of driving desire to pursue what we want and what we do not understand. The music is vintage Heart out of the past but rightfully placed in the time frame of now. Looking for the real pointing to experiences that were actually attainable. Great job everyone... A 5. Hangin' - String singin here be it pickin & pluckin delicate finesse as our fragile minds can be. At first I didn't like this one, but it's growing on me - shadows of my past are appearing with more familiarity on it now. Somehow though it isn't on the A side. B+ 6. Pray For Love - Hail to God the prayers we pray. In the spirit of loving knowledge a transcendence of song exudes spirtual need and higher understanding of our faults. The message is perpetual. Martian choir sounding real good here. Mixture of instruments blends in a myriad of soothing and defining senses. One of the best on the CD. A+ 7. River Of Souls - Here's a topic I have thought about a lot. Ethnic diversity comes to mind as our souls dance in a fluidic euphoria of time and space. Ohhh so good but leaves me hangn'. More... B+ 8. The Bridge - Slow, silent beat drives a heavy thunder bass. Vocals are your best with this song. Resembles Mr. Lindsay B. This one needs to mature with me some more, still need to scope the technical. B 9. Sun, Sweat and Sex - All Right this one has it all. Lyrics, vocals, instumental. Would really like to see this live some day. Climax at end unwinds to echo the beginning good. Head bobber for sure. If I wrote music, you took my words. A 10. Friends - Discovering who we are while merging our realities with the help of friends/family. Nice, bare bones, strictly to the point in an ever wavered wind with solo guitar work very good. Would like to sleep with this one on repeat, but that darn gong. A- 11. Just Believe - Heartfelt again! Threads of "River Of Souls" appear here? My favorite song on the entire CD - I can understand who, what and where you are talking about in your life. My own experiences are coming to mind. Surround sound mixing is awesome here. This song opens a void in my heart - a new star. Maybe some day we will have children. Let's see, Justin Believe Moran. Not bad A++ 12. One More Time - Frolically playful, positive motivational spirits.
A lot of lyrics.
The sorry facade has been my fate lately, this song will help raise me up.
Time to change my world. Crusade of rain drops flowing into a surging
ocean. Some new kinds of instuments or sounds in here I like. A-
Sonya and I received your music yesterday. We played it several times last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. Sonya took it to work with her today to share with a friend with whom she works. The design is perfect. You hit upon many appealing images and cues that work well with the music. ...your music and messages here remind me of such concepts and dedication toward changes in perspectives and progression toward pro-active developments as part of a growing awareness and inclusion in social interaction with the environment and with one another. Your narratives here in the booklet are rather endearing. The images drawing the reader in first off... the captions developing a sense of relationship between reader and the musician. You must have *some* backyard! Lol! ...concepts of marriage, friendship, rock and roll, music, beauty of nature, procreation, and struggle are vividly conveyed here. ...the music sounds warm and immediately, I think of how great it would be to hear this live on a big outdoor stage setting.
Got the new Evolution CD in the mail today and WOW...what an undertaking that
was, huh? Talk about a work of personal and worldly passion! Very, very
original, tribal and it sounds like the Rog I know [and love] but who has
really found a special spiritual musical connection with ALL that is! Bravo,
brother, this is really a milestone here [I have to mention that the CD's
packaging is an incredibly cool concept, the "corporate suits" would NEVER
have the balls to do anything remotely close to this]!
Just had my own "listening party" to your sublime CD - the best yet! - on my day off from work. As soon as I opened the package and read the instructions "intended to be experienced in one listening," I thought "I can't do that" but flipped the CD in anyway. Well, I had to refridgerate my meat and put off frying my hamburger until I listened to the whole thing. Awesome! Thanks for making my day, sending me on a fantastic adventure. You've got a winner. WOW! Just came from my own "listening party" (okay, so it was just me
and my dog, it was still so groovy ;) ), and man, I am so blown away.
Thank you for this inspirational, transformational, rock and roll
sensational (hey, I just made that up!) music! I had to resist the urge
to put it on immediately after receiving it this afternoon, because my kid
was on my last nerve, and I knew it was just not a good time. So, with
the kid tucked away in beddy-by, the time finally arrived! I lit my
current favorite incense, Evening Zen from Shoyeido (if you have not
experienced any incence from Shoyeido, I must send you some sample packs,
it's out of this world!), and got myself a glass of my favorite organic
red wine, and got "experienced". I placed myself in a prime spot on the
floor in between the speakers, where I could actually tell I was dead
center. And interestingly enough, my dog had already parked himself very
near that spot, after the cd started. He never moved. Anyway, what a
great experience. About midway through, I found myself wanting to do
these wonderful ballet/yoga stretches, and I could feel the tightness
unwinding. It was beautiful! So, just wanted to share that with you, and
tell you THANKS! ALL of your hard work and patience certainly paid off!
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