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Progressive Rock CD Reviews

giGO

The Divine Proportion

Review by Gary Hill

I have seen this listed as a progressive rock act. I’m including it there largely because Don Schiff is part of the band, and he’s part of Rocket Scientists. There are some proggy elements of the AOR variety on some of the songs here. Overall, though, this falls in the mainstream pop rock vein. It’s quite effective in that zone and has a decent range within it. All in all, I like this. You just can’t get hung up on classifications here.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2025  Volume 4. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2025.

Track by Track Review
Fly in the Ointment

There is a short bit of trippy sound, and Vincent Price’s voice makes an announcement. From there, they take us into the song proper. This has a bouncy, mainstream rock vibe. It has some AOR prog in the mix as it continues. It’s inventive and creative, but also very accessible. The melodic guitar soloing on the closing movement here is great.

Hold Me In Your Heart

A balladic piece, this has some great moods and styles. The synthesizer parts are so cool. The whole track has a real soulful groove to it. The break later takes it into proggier zones.

Game of Life

A more rocking tune, this has plenty of AOR prog in the mix. It’s catchy, classy and a lot of fun.

Down in Durango

More pure pop rock, I don’t hear a lot of prog here. I do love the melodic guitar fills. The whole tune works well. It’s just not very proggy. It’s very much a 1970s pop rock oriented piece.

That’s What They Say About Love

Country music, soul and more merge on this number. It’s another that’s pretty well free of prog tendencies. The guitar does bring some hints of jazz at times, though.

You’re the Kind of Drug

There are some hints of prog in this captivating pop rock piece. It really reminds me of something Mike and the Mechanics might have done. It has a lot of emotion built into it. It’s also a highlight of the set. The guitar solo based instrumental section at the end really brings prog and jazz influences to bear with a lot of charm.

Another Rainstorm

I really like this faster paced tune a lot. It features some reggae elements along with prog, jazz and more. Yet it’s very mainstream at the same time. This is one of the classiest tunes here. The first, shorter instrumental break brings an almost George Benson like vibe to bear. The electric guitar on the closing, more extended, instrumental break provides more of a fusion meets jam band thing.

Highway to Your Soul

Soft rock merged with country music elements gets this going. It reminds me a little of America and a lot of other 1970s soft rock bands. The Eagles, but the mellower side of that band, is another good reference. While this is another song pretty much devoid of prog, it’s an effective piece. It has a meaty vintage guitar solo, too. 

The Proof

There are some proggy vibes at play here, but only mild ones. This has some hints of country music and more in the mix, too. It’s very much a 1970s pop rock styled things overall. The keyboard break mid-track brings some space rock which fits with the lyrics. The closing section features some spacey ambient music and a spoken voice relating a frightening story.

 
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