 Jon Lord
 Pictured Within
 Review by Larry Toering
Jon Lord released this long awaited solo album after much hesitation. Lord is joined by the great guitarist/vocalist Miller Anderson and female vocalist Sam Brown, among others. Both turn in outstanding performances that help make this such an uplifting, yet extremely mellow, record. It is twelve tracks split into four parts of brilliance. This is funnily enough categorized by many outlets as a hard rock album, probably because Lord has always been known as a hard rocker in Deep Purple and Whitesnake. However, this is no rock album by any means. Even though it might carry an undeniable essence, it gets a prog stamp here.
Lord has released several solo projects since this disc, all of them varied somewhat in styles, but this was recorded back in 1998 and released in 1999, while he was still banging away with Purple. It started something in him that hasn't let up since. Combining some hard core classical and other forms of music including a bit of new age, this is a masterpiece of an album with great imaginative titles designed for the mature ear, without seeming like he's giving a music lesson or anything in the process. Make no mistake about it, this is the real deal for lovers of classically infused music. It's easy to tell by listening to this that Lord is of the most musically important band members in the Purple legacy, simply because of his diversity and composing abilities. Sadly he was not used nearly enough during their second coming, from 1984 til he retired from his position with them in 2002. This is a real treat for any real music lover, whether familiar with Lord or not. It's one of his most interesting releases to date, and I'm sure his fans, as well as fans of classically infused popular music can appreciate it.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2011 Volume 4 at lulu.com/strangesound.
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