Music Street Journal - Music News & Reviews

Carl Verheyen Sundial Review by Gary Hill Let me just say at the start that this is landed under progressive rock because Carl Verheyen, through his work with Supertramp and other projects is considered a prog artist, not because of the music here. Mind you there is a lot of fusion in the mix on this disc, though. And we generally land fusion under prog. Whatever you call this, though, it's an effective album with a lot of great music. It's well worth having and hearing. This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2021 Volume 3. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2021.

Track by Track Review

Sundial The intricate instrumental arrangement that opens this is pretty and enchanting. The cut works out from there to a song proper that feels a bit like Supertramp with some definite jazz leanings in the mix. The short guitar solo section really brings a lot of fusion to play.

Kaningie A faster paced tune, there is a lot of fusion in the mix on this one, too. There are also hints of things like Southern rock here. This instrumental is classy.

Clawhammer Man Verheyen brings the funk on this tune. It's a classy fusion-based number that has some real Southern angles to it. The guitar breaks on this are so cool, and the whole jam just oozes style and charm.

Never Again I dig the classy blues rock sound to this thing. The organ break is cool. The whole song just works really well.

Garfunkel (It Was All Too Real) Adult contemporary music seems to be along the lines of this number. The tune is quite effective.

People Got to Be Free There is a bit of a reggae edge to this version of the Rascals tune. It has a lot of energy and a great groove. It also has some particularly tasty guitar work. The female backing vocals bring some real charm to the piece, too.

Spiral Glide The bass starts this number. This cut gets us back toward more fusion-like zones. There are definite progressive rock elements here, too. The contrast between the mellower and more rocking textures is great. Those female vocals lend a lot of charm here, as well. This is classy stuff. In fact, this might be my favorite track on the album. The closing movement gets particularly powerful.

Michelle's Song A piano and vocal arrangement is on the menu here. That mode holds quite a bit of the tune, but guitar and a full band arrangement emerge later in an adult contemporary styled arrangement.

No Time for a Kiss With a lot of jazz and some Southern rock in the mix, this is a classy blues rocker. It has a tasty extended guitar solo. It's just a very effective piece of music.

Sundial Slight Return Here we get a mellow and quite pretty instrumental reprise of the album's opening number. This not only makes a great bookend, but is also a very satisfying parting shot.

Return to the Carl Verheyen Artist Page

Artists Directory

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
© 2024 Music Street Journal Site design and programming by Studio Fyra, Inc./Beetcafe.com