Tomas Bodin - "Sonic Boulevard" Review

Artist: Tomas Bodin

Title: Sonic Bouelvard

Produced by: Tomas Bodin

Label/ Date: Inside Out/ 2003

Tracks:

1. The Prayer

2. The Hero from Cloud City

3. Back to the African Garden

4. Pictures

5. Walkabout

6. The Horses from Zaad

7. A Beautiful Mind

8. The Happy Frog

9. Morning will Come

10. The Night will Fall

The Review:

My first exposure to Tomas Bodin was hearing him on Roine Stolt’s The Flower King. Tomas’ keyboard playing keeps with the music rather than endless soloing like some keyboardists do in the progressive community.

In 1996, I had a copy of his first cd and due personal reasons I no longer have it. From what I remembered it mirrored The Flower Kings sound. Almost like an intrumental version of the band since all of the musicians were the same, so I didn’t bother purchasing his second solo disc.

I received his third solo disc via Inside Out Music America and quickly changed my mind about Tomas. I put the disc into my cd player figuring it would be the same as what I heard before. Boy was I pleasantly surprised, Tomas has sucessfully created a style his own outside The Flower Kings. Roine guests on two tracks as well as TFK's ryhtym section, Jonas, Zoltan and Hans.

To me this release, Sonic Boulevard, is more like a band rather than a solo effort. I enjoyed it very much to say it’s one of my favorite 2003 releases. Musically, Tomas covers many styles along side his progressive roots and it’s quite refreshing. There's even some "wordless" vocal tracks and Tomas even provided some as well. He is both a talented sideman for The Flower Kings as well as a soloist.

~Ron for ProgNaut.com [September 21st, 2003]

To get to the artist's website, please click on the CD cover.

Band Members:

Tomas Bodin - keyboards, bass vocals (!!!) on song # 1

Anders Jansson - lead vocals, choirs

Jocke JJ Marsh - all electric guitars on songs # 2,3,5,6,7,9 and 10 amazing scat/guitar solo on song # 5

Jonas “Reine” Reingold - electric bass

Zoltan Csörsz - drums

Hans Bruniusson - percussions

Ulf Wallander - soprano saxophone on song # 8

Jonas Knutsson - soprano saxophone on song # 10

Roine Stolt - electric guitars on songs # 1 and 8

N´nogo Bjurhäll - African scat on song #5