You may know Roine Stolt as the leader and guitar player of "The Flower
Kings," even though he has a rich and storied past in music since
the 70's. You may be unaware that he filled important roles with other
groups such as "Kaipa" and "Fantasia." Stolt is another one of those
legendary guitar maestros that started off playing the bass, which
seems to be more common than not in the development of any artist
that plays the six-string. His second solo album "The Flower King"
was released in 1994 and was subsequently reissued on Inside Out America in 2001.
Stand out solo albums such as this will separate an artist from all
of his contemporaries. Stolt is not only the consummate professional
and leader of one of the most successful prog-rock bands in the world;
he has the talent and vision to create music that is able to stand
on its own merit without any reflection on previous collaborations
or projects. That in and of itself is the most difficult thing to
overcome when an individual has a vast repertoire to look back upon
over a long period of time such as Stolt does. The format he follows
with the albums sequence is classic prog-rock. He uses an intelligent
combination of instrumentals and vocal tracks along with the expected
multi-tiered prog-rock magnum opus as the meat of the recording. "Humanizzimo"
runs over twenty minutes and breaks down into six parts. With help
from his band mates from TFK he creates a steadfast and unyielding
project from start to finish. Instrumental tracks such as "The Sounds
of Violence" spotlight Stolt's innate ability to squeeze every ounce
of resonance and beauty out of his guitar without uttering a word.
Talented players like this man eliminate the need for vocals (even
though he has a good voice). The beauty of his craft becomes personified
in a note for note interpretation of feelings and a well spring of
spontaneous emotions. He not only transcends all preconceived ideas
of what the ideal guitar player and musician can be, he defines it.
Its time for the world to take it upon themselves to delve into the
history and back catalog of music that Roine Stolt has given us to
enjoy, only then will we completely understand his importance and
the critical contributions that he has made in regards to the development
of a continually evolving and blossoming musical genre. Sitting in
the fan's seat for a moment as an enthused listener…I would like to
see him come up with the unexpected the next time he records a solo
album. Something like a completely instrumental acoustic recording
to show his diversity and ability to cross over to another style seamlessly
would be appropriate, and a welcome change. I have no doubt that he
can do anything he decides to do and the fan base of TFK will continue
to grow and flourish because of his open ended approach to music.
1. The Flower King (Stolt) - 10:32
2. Dissonata (Stolt) - 10:02
3. The Magic Circus of Zeb (Stolt) - 7:06
4. Close Your Eyes (Stolt) - 3:12
5. The Pilgrims Inn (Stolt) - 9:20
6. The Sounds of Violence (Stolt) - 5:41
7. Humanizzimo (Stolt) - 20:53
*nbsp;A. Twilight Flower
*nbsp;B. The Messenger
*nbsp;C. The Nail
*nbsp;D. Only Human
*nbsp;E. This Is The Night
*nbsp;F. The Flower Of Love
8. Scanning the Greenhouse (Stolt) - 3:45
Credits:
Hans Bruniusson - Percussion, Drums
Ulf Artan Wallander - Sax (Soprano)
Roine Stolt - Guitar (Acoustic), Bass, Percussion, Guitar (Electric),
Keyboards, Vocals, Producer, Liner Notes, Orchestration, Cover Art,
Guitar (12 String Electric), Guitar (12 String Acoustic)
Bjorn Engelman - Mastering
Dexter Frank Jr. - Engineer
Jamie Salazar-drums
Hasse Froberg-lead vocal tracks 1 & 8
