High On Arrival

Alive on Arrival is an album full of earnest tunes about loneliness, self-worth, aspirations, and disappointments. Forbert’s wispy, innocent sounding voice floats gently (and cuts roughly) over his acoustic guitar to homespun ditties with a down-to-earth feel. This album represents Forbert’s music perfectly, and even though his latter albums sound less subtle, it is Alive on Arrival that so aptly personifies him. “Going Down to Laurel” has his voice aching about the dirtiness of the city and the beauty of his true love, and “Steve Forbert’s Midsummer Night’s Toast” is an interesting musical jaunt through the bittersweet world of growing up. Forbert really comes to life on “What Kinda Guy?,” humorously explaining what a simplified, easygoing chap he is. The kick-back aura of Alive on Arrival puts the emphasis on the down and out Forbert while feelings of sentiment and adolescence slowly emerge with each passing song.

Alive on Arrival is an album full of earnest tunes about loneliness, self-worth, aspirations, and disappointments. Forbert’s wispy, innocent sounding voice floats gently (and cuts roughly) over his acoustic guitar to homespun ditties with a down-to-earth feel. This album represents Forbert’s music perfectly, and even though his latter albums sound less subtle, it is Alive on Arrival that so aptly personifies him. “Going Down to Laurel” has his voice aching about the dirtiness of the city and the beauty of his true love, and “Steve Forbert’s Midsummer Night’s Toast” is an interesting musical jaunt through the bittersweet world of growing up. Forbert really comes to life on “What Kinda Guy?,” humorously explaining what a simplified, easygoing chap he is. The kick-back aura of Alive on Arrival puts the emphasis on the down and out Forbert while feelings of sentiment and adolescence slowly emerge with each passing song.

The Vintage Caravan are a mystery. »Arrival«, the third full-length from this Icelandic trio implies a maturity worthy of any band that has been on the road for some decades and enjoyed their share of smoked-filled seedy backstage rooms reeking of stale beer. A relaxed rocker like ‘Winter Queen’, with its perfectly-timed build-up and meticulous solos speaks of a long-experienced songwriter worth his salt. The blues-soaked ‘Monolith’ is as cleverly assembled as the percussion-driven heavyweight ‘Last Day Of Light’ or the shapeshifting semi-ballad, half-groove monster ‘Eclipsed’, or the whirling psychedelic trip offered by ‘Babylon’. The hand of a masterful composer can clearly be seen at work in each and every of the diverse songs featured on »Arrival« combined with a rare musicality on the instrumental and vocal side that can easily match those rock giants of the 70's. Yet that hand belongs to a kid or rather kids barely out of their teens.