Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Elefante, John
Label: Kingheir Music
Release: year
Runtime: 56:14
Rating: 4.5/5
John Elefante is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, best known for handling vocal duties in the American prog rock outfit Kansas between 1981 and 1984. Landing a gig with Kansas is no small thing. They only take the best. Elefante also made a name for himself as a solo artist, and together with his brother Dino he launched the excellent Mastedon project, which has put out three albums to date. The two also brought the Sound Kitchen studio to life, where giants like Bruce Springsteen, Buddy Guy, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw have recorded, among others, and he has produced plenty of albums for all sorts of artists, racking up some enviable successes working with Christian rockers Petra.
John Elefante is, in short, a guy who owns one of the sharpest pairs of ears in the galaxy. His primal feel for melodic correctness is simply outstanding. A composition he puts together ignites from the first note and just brims with tangible character.
This time around, John Elefante decided to file his latest work under his solo studio releases. That is, under the name John Elefante. Although a new Mastedon album had been quietly expected, especially given how excellent »3.« was when it came out in 2009 on Frontiers Records, the man decided that his sermon this time should give absolute priority to the intimate values of a musician’s personal confession.
Elefante is, to a degree, a bit of a »rascal« like his countryman Neal Morse. Both love to preach about a beautiful, »white world« ruled by the wisdom and laws of the Bible. Despite this »flaw«, though, they are both exceptional composers, vocalists and sound wizards. Their starting point for inspiration comes from The Beatles’ legacy, to which they add their own character. That’s also what sets their output apart. So Neal Morse pulls toward the old Spock’s Beard, while John Elefante pulls toward eighties Kansas. And »On My Way To The Sun« doesn’t hide Elefante’s eighties »affair« with Kansas either. Which is nothing new. That’s the well Elefante drew from for the Mastedon albums. So »On My Way To The Sun« could easily have come out under the Mastedon label. And yet what tipped the scales in the end was the artist’s final call that the new album is first and foremost a personal, confessional record.
What gives this release its exceptional power is, as expected, John Elefante’s vocals and the choral vocal hooks, which, positioned in the choruses, bring a mood-lifting crescendo to the songs. And that’s not just one song, there’s a whole dozen of them on this album. The opener This Is How The Story Goes has character parallels with seventies progressive rock. And those are of course sensible comparisons with Kansas. Two Kansas members also guest on this track, guitarist Rich Williams and violinist David Ragsdale, so it’s only fair to let the rock veterans stretch their fingers a bit! The song is a top-notch 11-minute mini EP, woven from several leading motifs, and despite all the layering, the core of how things develop is already dictated in the opener by the lead melodic hooks of the choir-harmonized vocals.
The organic sound of the album is outstanding, the production is warm, its building blocks pulse with life, and the contrasts are vividly colorful. »On My Way To the Sun« is also partly marked by pop elements, which is to be expected given John Elefante’s body of work, the original traits of his great musical talent, his experience and the multifaceted outlook embodied by the doctrine of his musical school. »On My Way To The Sun« is, after all, an excellent musical blend of Kansas, Mastedon and of course his three solo studio albums. Associations with Kansas and Mastedon keep popping up the whole time you’re listening.
The album is also nicely weighted with acoustics. One of the most beautiful moments on the record is the song We All Fall Short, where bare percussion dictates the whole rhythm of the acoustic track. The song delivers yet another extremely strong moment on the album. Elefante usually composes by the verse, pre-chorus, chorus formula. And it’s precisely this song that stands out for making optimal use of that mold! The contrasts between the songs are outstanding. Both in ideas and in arrangements. There’s no shortage of moments where blues elements creep in either (Where Have the Old Times Gone). It’s clear that on albums like this there’s a whole dozen candidates that are friendly to radio frequencies. The song I’d personally send straight to radio editors is All I Have To Do, an outstanding mix of gliding through »Beatles-isms« and the sophisticated addition of art rock touches, the kind Kansas always exploited from Elefante. The Awakening goes even further! The chorus already has a proper AOR character! Throughout its runtime, the album carries a clear contour of pomp (bombast)!
»On My Way To The Sun« is an album of exceptional compositional perfection. Every song is a self-contained entity with standout motifs that tie into each other beautifully. That’s why every song is a mini highlight of the album. “On My Way To the Sun” can be an easy album to win you over, but at the same time it clearly stresses the focal point of artistry, revealing a refined way of combining arrangement figures. It’s first and foremost an art rock album, which means it comes with a unique, one-of-a-kind quality! A genuine, bona fide John Elefante album, the kind you won’t get anywhere else. And most importantly. The album is simply excellent.
Lineup
John Elefante – vocals, guitar, percussion, keyboards, backing vocals
Dave Cleveland – guitar
Matthew Pearson – bass guitar
Dan Needham – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Rich Williams – guitar (track no. 1)
David Ragsdale – violin (track no. 1)
Production
John Elefante
Track List
1. This Is How The Story Goes (11:06)
2. Where Have The Olds Days Gone (5:18)
3. On My Way To The Sun (5:09)
4. All I Have To Do (5:25)
5. The Awakening (5:11)
6. Half The Way Home (5:10)
7. We All Fall Short (4:14)
8. Don’t Hide Away (5:16)
9. This Time (5:07)
10. Confess (4:25)
