Leonardo - The Absolute Man

Try track 12 or 4 too. Exceptional prog because track 13 is one of the best prog songs I've ever heard, radio friendly, and never played on mainstream radio.

It's puzzling that so many people would give this disc five stars when much of the second half falls somewhere between mediocre and awful. The biggest problem is that Trent Gardner does not, in a manner of speaking, know when to shut up. He lets his own passion get in the way of good songwriting, flooding the later tracks with excessive, excessive, excessive lyrics. The best (worst?) example is "Shaping the Invisible," which is an absolutely atrocious song, almost unbearable to listen to. James LaBrie may be the finest vocalist in prog (I would vote for Geoff Tate), but when he strains to get out some lyrics, then strains some more because there are more lyrics, then strains a little more because Gardner doesn't know when to stop writing lyrics, it is actually painful to listen. Nevertheless, this is a truly ambitious effort, and there are many shining moments. In particular, "This Time, This Way" is a beautiful male/female duet that very nearly reaches the emotional heights of Queensryche's "Suite Sister Mary." Overall, there are much better ways to spend your money, so skip this one unless you have enough funds to purchase all things prog.

Leonardo- The absolute man is nothing short of incredible. My favorite album used to be Dream Theater's Metropolis II. That has now changed. Every note, every accent in this album is perfectly placed. In any recording I've ever listened to, there are moments here and there where it all works just right. On this one, the moments never seem to stop. Never before have I beheld such musical genius. Buy it now. You won't regret it.

After listening a few times, I am really beginning to like this CD--La Brie does a great job on vocals, as do the rest of the cast, although none of the other male performers stand out like Dream Theater's voicebox does (and I am a fan of Shadow Gallery, Cairo and Ice Age); the two females in the cast both do a great job. While not as close to perfection as Dream Theater's "Scenes from a Memory" or Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Beethoven's Last Night", it is definitely worth having in your collection if you are into good progressive songwriting and performance.The instrumental tracks could have used a little more standard rock instruments, but they are nice to listen to. The interplay between the cast is also interesting, although on some tracks the chorus vocals seem a little difficult to understand.Standout tracks include "This Time, This Way", a soaring duet between Leonardo and Mona Lisa. If ever there was a Magna Carta label song deserving of airplay, this is the one! This track is beautiful and very moving. Also of note are "Mona Lisa", and "Inventions".All in all, this album comes very close to being a five-star album, only occasionally marred by some slow points, which, to me, is to be expected of Trent Gardner's work. While I loved Explorer's Club: "Age of Impact", I am not particulary fond of Magellan (Gardner's fulltime band). I think Gardner really throws everything at all of his projects; sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Case in point: I still don't know how viable the trombone is on a rock album, even a progressive album...but like the rest of his work, I think it's growing on me...

Have you heard Trent Gardner's 1998 endeavor "Age of Impact"? If so, be prepared...for the worst parts of that album have been fruitful and multiplied. The whole CD sounds incredibly cheap thanks to the use of synthesized strings and woodwinds. The vocal parts are written rather poorly, following the text in almost no logical fashion. Some of the vocalists are wonderful singers, but very few are featured in waya that reflects the strengths of their voices. With a project this large and comprehensive there are only two options: fantastic accomplishment or miserable failure. This one is behind door number two.

Along with J.S. Bach and Shakespeare, Leonardo da Vinci stands as one of my eternal heroes, with da Vinci perhaps the greatest of the three. Therefore, any musical endeavor that undertakes to capture his brilliance is one that I must find myself drawn to, with a critical but understanding eye, given the magnificence that the music would have to achieve in order to do the great Master justice.From the first moments of Leonardo - The Absolute Man, I could tell that this was going to be an excellent attempt at accurately representing Il Divino in musical terms. Being one of those rare people who actually enjoyed both of Explorers Club's CDs, I could really get into the sound of this album. The instrumental writing and playing is exciting and brilliant. It does manage to reflect different facets of Leonardo himself, at times precise and complex, but deeply pensive and emotional at others.As far as casting goes, I was fairly happy, I would say. The singing talent is, of course, virtually unmatched on any album; even Arjen Lucassen's projects don't manage to assemble a more talent-filled list. LaBrie especially shines for me, since I'm more familiar with him than any of the others, though I also like Mike Baker's singing on this album. At first, Lisa Bouchelle didn't seem quite right as Mona Lisa, but I grew accustomed to her, and having read an interview she gave on Highwire-Daze, I respect what she does for the character. And what can I say, if this were ever live, I wouldn't mind seeing her onstage ;-). I have no qualms with any of the other choices.Ultimately, I would say that this is a very well-made album, and one that takes an interestingly personal, if slightly fanciful, look at da Vinci. Though there isn't enough time to paint him as the Homo universalis that he surely was, the 66 minutes we do get are as true to him in spirit as one could hope for. And while it would be presumptuous of me to say he'd have been proud, I think he would have appreciated it, and I can't imagine any other current band doing anything half as worthy to bear his name.

spedizione veloce e tt a posto se nn fosse x la parte anteriore della custodia con uno spacco...sono un po fissato x queste cose ...lo riconosco

This is one of those albums you either love or don't understand. Someone wrote that they though the music a bit strange. That is because it is a Prog-Rock Opera. The first time I heard this kind of music I was a bit confused too. It was the album "The Human equation" from Ayreon which in my mind is one of the best Prog-Rock albums ever. James Labrie who also played the main part in the above mentioned Ayreon album, is playing the role of Leonardo Da Vinci. It's absolutely true that he really shows what he's capable of on this album. My favourite is the Third track "With father", as gentle, beautiful track about Leonardo's childhood.I have to say that on some tracks where they try to sound classical and orchestral, it sounds more like one of those cheap crappy Disney nasties about Snow white or whatever when the prince enters the main hall of the castle to meet the king...... The album dates from 200/2001 but even in those days there were much much better sample libraries and pro sound sets for synths that at least sounded a bit realistic. Having said that, otherwise I do like the album.