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Progressive Rock CD Reviews

A Girl Called Eddy Been Around Review by Gary Hill This act is generally not considered prog. I, however, think that the dreamy, trippy sort of texture in the mix, along with a lot of the jazz elements put it within striking distance of the genre. It's always beneficial to getting things covered at MSJ (since half of each issue is prog) if we can make the argument, and I don't think it's a huge stretch here. This is not far removed from a lot of modern prog. The thing is, this is great music no matter how you label it. In fact, I'd say that it's quite possible it will make my best of 2020 list. Erin Moran (not the actress from "Happy Days") is the person who goes by the name "A Girl Called Eddy," but she is joined by several other people to complete the sonic picture of this album. This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2020 Volume 4. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2020.

Track by Track Review

Been Around Piano creates the music backdrop for a multi-layered non-lyrical vocal introduction. There is a real classy jazzy concept on the intro. The number drops back to more of a mainstream arrangement from there. It's slow moving and a bit soulful. This has some great melodies and is really all class. The horns bring a lot to the table, but the whole tune is just great.

Big Mouth A mellower cut, there is a dreamy kind of classic texture to this. The layers of vocals bring a lot of magic to it. The whole tune really works so well. It's catchy, dramatic and beautiful. The interlude movement with whispered vocals is a nice touch.

Jody A jazzy groove brings this into being. There is a proggy pop rock kind of sound to this. The lyrics seem to bring a real touch of life vibe. There is a bit of a Steely Dan thing on this in a lot of ways.

Charity Shop Window There is a definite dreamy element here. This is a powerful piece that gets quite soaring before it's all over and done.

Someone’s Gonna Break Your Heart More of a pop rock tune, this is energized and fun. It's not proggy at all, but rather feels a bit like some of the retro styled stuff from Blondie.

Not That Sentimental Anymore There is a lot of old school jazz built into this cut. It is more of a jazz ballad, really. It's also very tasty.

Two Hearts There is such a classy rocking, energized groove to this. It has a real classic 1970s rock vibe to it.

Lucky Jack (20-1) The vocals come in over the top of a retro keyboard arrangement. While the main structure stays reasonably unchanged throughout, the cut gets more instrumentation and layers of sound added to augment it. The number is quite effective.

Come To The Palisades! With jazz and retro grooves merging, this is an energized and entertaining piece of music. It's all class. There is a short excursion to a sort of 60s type dramatic pop rock sound.

Finest Actor The sort of jazz ballad approach that brings this into being works really well. There is sort of a sultry jazz club vibe to it. The cut grows out gradually as it continues, but doesn't rise far from its roots for a lot of its duration. The tune is dreamy and trippy and so classy, and does get into some soaring, dreamy kind of territory for a short time.

NY Man There is definitely a proggy kind of groove to this cut. The number starts mellower and more balladic and gradually builds outward into something more powered up and lushly arranged.

Pale Blue Moon (Bonus Track) This bonus track has a real dreamy lush element at play. The piano is pretty, and the cut just really works well. The combination of male and female vocals is a nice touch.

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