Oxygene 8 was one of the bands that peeked my interest of all the performers at Baja Prog. The format is similar to one of Fripp’s splinter groups Sunday All Over The World. Mainly for the female vocals and Chapman stick, both donen wonderfully by Linda Cushma. The only difference is Frank D’angelo’s guitar playing is more aggressive than Fripp’s. Joining Linda & Frank is ex-Primus drummer Tim Alexander. For the Baja Prog gig, they were joined on drums by Gerad Mallorqui and Argentinian Stick player Guillermo Cides (who also played at Baja Prog both at the hotel an in the lobby at the theater). Thier music is a very eclectic genre bending experience and from hearing them live, one can see how well they execute their studio versions from Poetica on stage in front of hundreds.
The musicianship and production on the Poetica CD are top-notch, and the song writing (the result of the collaboration between Cushma and D’Angello) is probably the best in years. This is one of the finest debut albums I’ve heard so far in the new millennium. So if you like your prog served with some groove, crazy guitar playing, Chapman stick and female vocals then do yourself a favor and order a copy of Poetica from the band or your favorite vendor today!
Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on May 23rd, 2004
