Gaining worldwide recognition as the vocalist for Steve Hackett’s Genesis Revisited tours, vocalist and songwriter Nad Sylvan has also marked a solo path with a bunch of his own albums. Monumentata marks the lankly blonde with the arresting stage presence’s fifth.
Things get moving with the second tune in “That’s Not Me.” As is true of all the songs here, Sylvan is playing most of the instruments (and playing them damn well) save drums and an oh-so-distinctive bass played by Tony Levin, his fourth appearance on a Sylvan album. Sylvan’s voice (lead and background) is especially strong on this wonderfully funky rock number.
“Monte Carlo Priceless,” and “Flowerland,” are two strong prog-AOR ballads (yes, there are such things). The first sees Sylvan rolling around his falsetto. I surely like Sylvan using his considerable expressive pipes on these slower tunes. As expected, there are some deeper prog moments here, especially when Hackett band bassist Nick Beggs, drummer extraordinaire Marco Minnemann, and keyboardist Lalle Larsson from Swedish progressive rock band Karmakanic, lend their talents to the shifting moods and tempos of “Wildfire.”
The title track expresses an important moment for Sylvan — the loss of his father which now leaves him parentless. It’s pretty much all Nad Sylvan, save for Levin on bass again and Felix Lehrmann on drums. It’s a highlight, as much of layered vocal production, lyric, and excellent songwriting is throughout this great release.
Having been introduced to Nad Sylvan via Hackett’s live shows and encountering a smattering of the man’s previous solo work (and I caught him at a Hackett show meet-and-greet where I witnessed him, as well as Hackett, being so very sweet and approachable to everyone), I am thrilled to report on my wonderful deeper dive into Nad Sylvan’s Monumentata.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
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