Roine Stolt-Hydrophonia (1998)

1. Cosmic lodge
2. Shipbuilding
3. Little cottage by the sea
4. Wreck of hms nemesis
5. Bizarre seahorse sex attack
6. Oceanna baby dolphin
7. Nuclear demo
8. Hydrophonia
9. Lobsterland groove
10. Seafood kitchen thing

Roine Stolt:Guitars,Bass,heyboards and Percussion

Jaime Salazar:Drumkit,Percussion

Ulf Wallander:Soprano Saxophone

All songs composed by Roine Stolt

Ten compositions by Roine Stolt carry you along through musical journeys and image-rich wanderings. Stolt is, as usual, superb guitars, bass, keys, and percussion. Jaime Salazar is drumkit and percussion. Ulf Wallander is soprano saxophone.Stolt even offers an innovative Zappa-esque,fusiony rock, "Peaches En Regalia" progression on "Bizarre Seahorse Sex Attack". He waxes very Oldfieldian on "Oceanna Baby Dolphin" that is new-agey lullaby. He rocks out in a Pekka Pohjolic adventure-track style on "Nuclear Nemo". Title cut, "Hydrophonia" calls to mind the guitar work of John Themis, Joaquin Lievano, Paul Speer, and Mike Oldfield and wraps it all in a Kitaro/Vangelis package. We get islands jazzy on "Lobsterland Groove' and Wallander stretches on the sax nicely.

Things are wrapped up Eric Johnson, White-Cliffs-of-Dover style with a driving tune ballad-reel and riff fest on "Seafood Kitchen Thing" that eventually breaks down into Gilmour jams.No vocals this time around but an immense spectrum of hum-along material is provided here. There should be well enough material here to satisfy any Flower Kings fan on Stolt's Hydrophonia. An odyssey of melody and soaring instrumentals can be found on this release to entertain the most jaded of proggers and rockers. A definitely recommended experience.