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Whatever Falls
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Released Nov 2001 mintspy/VOICEPRINT VP228CD
RAY BENNETT - vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keys, ebo, electronic percussion.
DAVID KANNENSTINE - bass guitar, "Whatever Falls" & AHH !"
MARK PARDY - drums on all tracks except "Stella".
Produced by Ray Bennett.
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1. La Verite Des Miracles
2. Torn Apart.
3. Under The Wheel.
4. Digging With A Spoon.
5. Ahh !
6. Stella.
7. Changing.
8. Davey Goes To The Park
9. Whatever Falls.
10. New West.
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Music St. Journal
Ray Bennett - Whatever Falls
Ray Bennett has released what is very close to a masterpiece with this album. The disc seems to take common elements of progressive rock both old (Genesis, Yes, Pink Floyd) and new (Spock's Beard, modern King Crimson) and blend them with other elements to create a sound that is both modern and unique, while still being quite firmly entrenched in the progressive rock genre.
Bennett does the majority of the album in true "solo" fashion, accompanied only by Mark Pardy (all tracks but one) and David Kannenstine (on two songs). He certainly proves that he is a master of many instruments. This one is a great album, and should please fans of all types of progressive rock. It just oozes class and style.
La Verite Des Miracles: A cool, psychedelic sounding texture starts this instrumental, then a guitar crying out over an atmospheric keyboard texture takes it. New-ageish textures dominate for a time. Then a gradual building on these elements ensues. The melodies give way to more atmosphere, then a harder edged guitar melody takes the piece, washed over by keyboards. As this carries on, a spoken word sample comes over the top. Eventually all of this gives way to a fairly straightforward rocking sound. Still, this is interspersed and punctuated by unusual melody lines and eventually a Yesish texture enters the fray. This is a track that really keeps reinventing itself and becomes one heck of a strong prog jam. It is dramatic and powerful at times, and ever changing..
Torn Apart: Percussion begins this one, then a cool groove, a bit Crimsonish, ensues. This one is high-energy and both virtuosic and straightforward - no easy feat! This one should please both prog heads and fans of modern rock. The interplay between the guitar and bass is at times quite stunning. The outro is a cool, unexpected keyboard turn.
Under The Wheel: This has to have one of the coolest gritty sounds to the intro that this reviewer has ever heard. The vocals on the intro are a spoken edge over top of the musical element, more sound effects than singing. As the song proper enters, it is in a slightly Beatlesesque garage band sort of sound. Fans of modern King Crimson should enjoy this one. It is a very intriguing take on progressive rock with an extremely modern texture. The keyboard break is dramatic and a bit neo-classical.
Digging With A Spoon: Although much of this number is straightforward, it is still quite interesting. The instrumental break/outro should have enough prog changes to please most fans of the genre.
Ahh!: Textural patterns begin and a weirdly processed spoken vocal line lends a weird mood that is actually just a little Alice Cooperish. Those vocals are essentially an oddly textured poetry reading. Mid-song a bass line enters, pulling the composition into new ground, but the spoken vocals and recurring melodies link the two segments. The guitar jamming late is pretty exceptional.
Stella: A drum machine type percussion line holds this one in while a guitar gently wails over top. A solid rocking groove builds from this basis and this instrumental track carries on with some exceptionally meaty bass work really standing out. This one is based in a slow mode, but it truly screams out --not out of metallic fury, but from very tasty jamming on all of the instruments.
Changing: Mellow tones begin this one, then percussion takes the piece. As keyboard patterns emerge, a dramatic building takes over. As the intro ends a more stripped down progression takes over and the dramatic vocals and arrangement calls to mind Spock's Beard just a bit. This is a very cool, albeit slightly understated piece. It somewhat switches gear later, going more full on prog in a somewhat Yes/Genesisish way.
Davey Goes To The Park: Atmospheric and mysterious sounds begin this one, and as the song proper enters it's in the form of a balladic prog style. The choruses get rather hard edged. It features an awesome break with an intriguing rhythmic texture. This is a very strong track with a lot of musical changes and a great vocal arrangement.
Whatever Falls: The title track, appropriately, seemingly falls out of the previous piece. This slow-paced number really feels a lot like a cross between Beard, Genesis and Pink Floyd. It is a gentle composition that moves quite nicely.
New West: Another that feels like it flows seamlessly right out from the number that preceded it, this is a killer instrumental groove that has a jazzy texture. Appropriately it is a bit in the style of the music of the old west.
Gary Hill
MusicStJournal
http://www.musicstreetjournal.com
©2002, Music Street Journal
LET IT ROCK - DME Music Site
Former FLASH member emerges out of oblivion, an act long-overdue and, therefore, more than welcome.
WHATEVER FALLS CD mintspy/Voiceprint 2001
Going solo at this point in his career an artist can be either boring or outrageous. Luckily, with Ray Bennett, it's the latter - today only a few play progressive music as frightningly intense and haunting. No matter what bouncing "Changing" suggests, this veteran has somehow preserved the emotions many of the genres exponents lost. Not a mindchild, but a soulbrew, "La Verite Des Miracles" reveals itself like a mirage, synth mountains and guitar caves awashed with silver drops morph into sharp riffs of city concrete. Complex yet beautiful and all the more worth investigating - for simplicity, with which Ray plays bass puncture "Stella" is deceptive. What may seem strange on the first glance, turns out to be a time-warp bringing genuine wild art into present tense. And "Digging With A Spoon" is majestically tense, as if some punks did the court dance on the other side of the moon. So an anger of furious angularity in "Torn Apart", with it's well hidden silky jazziness, seems less a parodox than a quirky dream. "Davey Goes To The Park" is such a psycho dream delivered by a voice ethereal and warm at the same time. Even warmer unfurls the title ballad "Whatever Falls"(will always arise). It represents a motto of Ray Bennett, a philosophy in a sonic cloth.
****1/2
Dmitry Epstein.
LET IT ROCK - DME Music Site.
http://dmme.net/
AMG
Bennett, Ray
Whatever Falls
Voiceprint
VP228CD
2001
What would you expect from a musician whose best known accomplishment was to play bass in ex-Yes guitarist Peter Banks' group (that would be FLASH), a musician who ever since the mid-'70s has laid low? What would you expect from a comeback album which is also his first solo album after thirty years of career? You probably wouldn?t set your expectations too high.
Well surprise, surprise! "Whatever Falls" is not only a decent rock album, it actually contains all the elements to justify its existence. Ray Bennett wanted it to be special and he succeeded.
The art rock spark of FLASH remains at work in the arrangements, especially in the bombastic instrumental opener 'La Vérité des Miracles' (a big smile in the face of every fan of the group guaranteed). Bennett handles all instruments with the exception of drums (by Mark Pardy) and a couple of bass tracks (David Kannenstine}). Yet a group feel prevails. The album was conceived as a whole; most pieces segue into one another, creating a well-calculated sequence. The rock songs have punch, the instrumentals are quirky enough to rise over predictable levels, and the title track, penultimate in the running order, creates a delicate atmospheric moment.
Of course "Whatever Falls" is not free of '70s nostalgia -- it irradiates the smell of British rock from that decade. But it has the strength of Steve Hackett's Guitar Noir. Fans will appreciate thoroughly.
François Couture
AMG
http://ubl.artistdirect.com/music/artist/card/0,,430971,00.html
Bennett, Ray/vocals/guitar/bass/keyboard/ebo/percussion
(electronic)/engineer/producer
Kannenstine, David/bass
Pardy, Mark/drums/percussion
Fritz, Ed/engineer
Collins, Gerry/editing/mastering
Twizzle, Grant/design
Bennett, Michael/artwork
Noland, Sherry/photographs
Rock
Prog-Rock/Art-Rock
Pop/Rock
48:36
PROGRESSIVE WORLD
For those who need a history lesson, Ray Bennett is the former bassist for the Yes splinter group Flash. As a huge Flash fan, I couldn't wait to dig into Bennett's latest CD, "Whatever Falls", and I wasn't disappointed. A collection of guitar-based compositions, "Whatever Falls" covers a lot of territory from ambient textures to Rush-like metal. As it turns out Bennett is not just an excellent bassist, but also a skilled guitarist and a competent vocalist.
The album opens with the track "La Verite Des Miracles," a six-minute sonic surprise (especially if you expect to hear something similar to Flash) whose ambient intro leading into heavier guitar themes brings to mind some work by Djam Karet.
The second track, "Torn Apart," takes over where the first leaves off, with searing guitar that harkens back to early Rush. However, the song itself sounds more like a melding of Rush with 60's Ten Years after. On this track, we first get to hear Bennett's vocals, which sound like Dave Mustaine of Megadeth crossed with Alvin Lee of Ten Years After.
"Under the wheel," the third track, moves back into Djam Karet territory, at least as far as the music goes. However, this is a vocal piece, rather than an instrumental. Growling bass lines and soaring, sustained guitar chords punctuate the distorted spoken verses, all underpinned by occasional synth screeches. Although Bennett delivers the verses as spoken word, he sings the choruses in two-part harmony. The centerpiece of the track is an almost orchestral break that brings to the fore the subtle symphonic nature of the music.
The remaining tracks follow suit, with songs that update the Ten Years After sound ("Digging with a Spoon" and "Davey Goes to the Park") to nearly ambient pieces ("Ahh!" and "Stella") to jazzy, Eric Johnson-like forays ("Whatever Falls" and "New West"). The song,"Changes," is the closest anything here comes to pop, being reminiscent of early Toto. For the most part, the arrangements are dense with orchestral touches played on synth, as well as peppered with myriad atmospheric sounds, yet it all stays well balanced and mixed, producing a sonically deep CD that offers a new surprise with each listen.
Every track on this album is, in its own way, unusual, which should help satisfy most prog listeners. The guitar work is solid, to the point, and effective. Especially effective are the various guitar tones, from Rush-like walls of sound to dark, Eric Johnson-esque rhythm sections. The keyboards boast the same sensibilities, solid backgrounds that slide nicely into the mixes.
All in all, I think Bennett has a real winner here, an album that impresses on the first listen but grows stronger as the music becomes familiar. I can heartily recommend "Whatever Falls" to anyone who likes rock with strong musical values, a progressive edge, and creative, expert production.
Rating: 4 out of 5
NOTE: Bennett has also released a career retrospective entitled Angels & Ghosts, which features music from 1973 through to 1997, including a rare Flash single, "Watch Your Step." And don't get the idea that this track is a throw-away included only to entice Flash fans to the album; it's an excellent song that accurately represents the Flash sound, albeit in under three minutes. Also, included is the flipside to that single, an experimental track named "Never Stand Behind an Old Piano." The
remaining 13 tracks go everywhere from Flash-like songs to full-tilt arena hard rock. Lots of fun with history here, including enlightening liner notes.
Bennett, Ray - Whatever Falls
Release Date: 2001
Clayton Walnum
PROGRESSIVE WORLD
http://www.progressiveworld.net/
PROGRESSIVE EARS
Whatever Falls (VP228CD) is the new CD from Ray Bennett, out now on the Voiceprint label. You'll remember Bennett best as bassist for the 70s Peter Banks outfit, "Flash". With Flash, Bennett wrote great songs, played great bass, etc. On Whatever Falls, Bennett gets to shine!
Whatever Falls is prog-rock with a major in rock and a minor in space. A total of 10 songs, none longer than 6:35, the album has a nice flow throughout. David Kannenstine plays bass guitar on two cuts. Mark Pardy plays drums on all cuts except for one. The rest is a Ray Bennett showcase. He does it all. Vocals, Guitars, Keys, all the songwriting, and of course some killer bass!
Whatever Falls begins with "La Verite Des Miracles" which starts out as space music. No kidding, the first four notes are the first four notes from Star Trek (OS). Three minutes later guitar, bass & drums kick in and you're rocking your ass off with Ray Bennett!
As fierce as this album gets, it never loses its space appeal. There are sound effects throughout. Lots of times the vocals are spoken and with loads of effects. Bennett still has a great song voice too! The singing is strong and the melodies are catchy.
I was trying to pick out a few stand-out tracks, but truthfully they all stand out. It has a lot of different moods, and all the songs benefit from great songwriting. After the opening instrumental "La Verite Des Miracles" comes "Torn Apart". "Torn Apart" is more rock oriented. Great vocals and mean guitar tones. Its almost like a hybrid between Deep Purple (era Perfect Stranger) and King Crimson (era ThraK).
Up next is "Under The Wheel", which truthfully is more like John Paul Jones Thunderthief, just not quite the thunder of JPJ. This one has lots of spoken vocals, and Bennett is having a rave on bass! "Under The Wheel" is indeed a standout track!
Track four is "Digging With A Spoon". This has a more modern & accessible sound to it. It starts with just electric guitar and vocals, but builds with great keyboard work into a great song. This one could get air-play, that is if radio gave a damn!
Track five is called "Ahh!" More keys, spoken vocals and laden with sound effects. Track six is "Stella", a short instrumental with more outstanding bass. Track seven "Changing" is more in the vein of "Torn Apart". The vocals are great and actually sound a bit like George Harrison. Bennett's voice is very strong on this one.
"Davey Goes To The Park" is track eight and at 6:35, clocks in as the longest song here. This one is worthy of air-play, too. Track nine, the title cut, "Whatever Falls" also reminds me of George Harrison's vocals. It's slow and airy, never gaining speed, but lots of intensity. It's a great tune. It has some sweet clean guitar weaving in between the vocals, too.
Finally track ten, "New West". The ending track is a nice instrumental, with excellent bass, guitar, keys and electronic drums. It will make you want to hit repeat, over and over! This CD is Ray's first solo project. The CD lists a website for Ray.
Bottom line - Ray Bennett, beloved bassist of Flash, has a new CD out. Its called Whatever Falls and its worth checking out!
PROGRESSIVE EARS
Member: Amnerika
http://www.progressiveears.com/
©2001, 2002 Progressive Ears
All Rights Reserved
ACID DRAGON
Ray Bennett- 'Whatever Falls'
Ex Flash member Ray released two CDs on Voiceprint in 2001. One of these Ray aptly describes as a 'time-warp through more than twenty years of music (including an incredible Flash single and b-side) and it is a fine collection. It is 'Whatever Falls' though that shows Ray for the incredible creative talent he is. Ray handles the vocals, guitar, bass, e-bow, keyboards and electronic percussion ably backed by a rhythm section of David Kannenstine (bass on 2 tracks) and Mark Pardy (drums on most) The album is a mixture of progressive rock, rock and moving ballads and is a delight from start to finish.
I'm including Ray Bennett's 'Whatever Falls' in the 'Recommended Releases 2001' section of my web site.
Phil Jackson
ACID DRAGON
http://www.paradoxone.co.uk
20th Century Guitar Magazine
Renowned as the bass player in the early 70's prog rock group Flash, Ray Bennett has evolved into a fine guitar player over the years. So much so, that he's in the midst of reforming Flash after nearly 30 years, although without original Flash and Yes guitarist Pete Banks. Regarding the planned 2003 reformation of Flash, Bennett adds, "I'm playing guitar and we have a new bass player. Colin Carter and Mike Hough are the same as ever and in fine shape, and there will be a keyboard player."
Bennett's 2001 solo album - Whatever Falls - clearly reflects the progress he's made since moving to NYC back in the late '80s. A mix of atmospheric guitar-based rock instrumentals and songs that feature Bennett's vocals, the skillfully recorded Whatever Falls clearly falls into the progressive rock genre and is essential listening for those who enjoyed those fabulous Flash albums from the early '70s.
Also available on CD from Bennett on Mintspy / Voiceprint is Angels & Ghosts - a 15 track compilation including lost Flash music, featuring Banks, a snippet from a Bennett interview on WLIR back in '77 as well as a range of tracks recorded by Bennett since his arrival in NYC.
Both CDs feature a wealth of historical information written by Bennett and rare color pictures.
Robert Silverstein
20th Century Guitar Magazine
http://www.tcguitar.com/
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