Search - Lake :: The Blast of Silence

Welcome back lake,we've missed you

Mark Russo | UPSTATE NEW YORK | 10/03/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"in the late 70's when we had a more liberal minded media that played new bands,we were introduced to lake.the debut album featured a song called "DoI Love You",and it ,for me, at the time was one of the most beautiful songs i had ever heard.so my "ocd" kicked in and i immediately went out to buy it.what i heard throughout that album was such diversity.haunting melodies...."Chasing Colors",upbeat melodic mixes ..."On The Run",and "Timebomb",running with a sort of pop/jazz fusion."Jesus Came Down" blew me away.i was an immediate fan.i own everything they have ever recorded.

james hopkins harrison had a unique voice,very difficult to duplicate.alex conti is a brilliant guitarist,with amazing lead fills,but never crossing the boundaries into hard rock stylings,staying true to the visions this ultra talented band.

on "The Blast Of Silence" much of their stylings stay intact but the maturity shows as they delve into a bit more powerful guitar work,and some bluesy numbers,and mike starrs is a great replacement on vocals sounding so similar to james.what is noticeably missing here are the gorgeous ballads they were known for writing."Do I Love You"is a classic,and from lake 2, "Loves The Jailer" is another absolutely beautiful ballad.the song that even comes close on "BLAST" is "Loving You",but is an almost 8 minute forray into music and vocals that does not capture the idea of a ballad.a ballad is a short dalliance into the hook of the song,the thing that never leaves your memory.

this is not to say it is a bad cd,quite the contrary.

"Driving With Your Eyes Closed" is an outstanding rocker,that will have you bouncing around the room, and"It's Not My Cross To Bear" is a sultry blues song that left me breathless."Dancin With Steve"has them sticking true to their roots with a sound reminiscent of "Between The Lines" the last song from their first release.

this is a great addition to any music fans collection,but especially to the true lake fans."

Mike Starrs

Philip | 05/12/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a new Lake lineup which features Mike Starrs on vocals. If anyone remembers the Lucifers Friend's albums "Good Time Warrior" and "Sneak me in" they will remember he took over when John Lawton left the group to do other things. He actually does a good job here and actually sounds a lot like the original Lake singer which should make a good live concert. The only thing I did not like about this CD is they did a remake of the Steely Dan song Josie and I want to hear original material"