LIT SOUL III Libertine Dream is a 15 song collection of all original songs by Rob Chevelle. Rob wrote the songs, lyrics, sings, plays guitar, tambourine and acoustic sound effects. He also created the concept, art work and photography. Produced and written by Rob Chevelle (RBM). Co-produced by Eliot Waldhorn (e5music). Released August 2008, exactly two and a half years to the month in the making (part time). This is passionate balls to the walls electric and acoustic Anti Big Government Rock n Roll exposing "The Man". With some pop and folk stirred into the mix. Sprinkled with tough lyrical poetry. You will hear some influences of The Cult, The Doors, Helmet, Danzig and Pink Floyd. Even Chris Holmes from W.A.S.P plays a signature long lead on one of the epic songs. Oceans of Life, blood, sweat, beers and tears went into this project. CD REVIEWS: Review by Sonia Waterfiled - SLW Promotions Lit Soul - Libertine Dream - Independant Lit Soul are not a new band. They currently have 2 rock albums “Seven Worlds” and “Libertine Dream” and 2 poetry albums “Poetry With Music” and “Birthday Poetry”. Rob Chevelle is the genius behind the band. First and foremost he is an artist, in more ways than one. His arts include poetry, photography, writing, painting along with running a rock band. ‘Libertine Dream’ with its album cover portraying a stone statue of Micheal Angelo's Moses who is holding the 10 Commandments. The album cover, like many other parts on the album illustrates a double and hidden meaning, to which there are plenty hiding away. This album is what I can only describe as intelligent rock. it’s unique and is confidently bridging a gap between poetry and rock. ‘Crazy! It wont work!’ I hear you cry. that’s the thing though, it does. Each and every lyric has been deeply thought out, well constructed and can, if desired, be read as poetry. The music has been deliberately placed to express the pure emotion and feelings behind every word. ‘Pirates Pt 1’ which is a short and bouncy introduction to get the listener stirring. This leads to ‘In The Eyes Of America (Petrifield Times)’, another inkling to those hidden meanings, which is a good heavy track reminiscent of The Cult and at times Danzig. ‘Eternal’ slows the tempo slightly whilst retaining the grinding and grungy guitars. The ever changing tempo of the vocals keeps this rolling along nicely. The theme of love, loosing and wanting to belong is touched on this and the following tracks. This topic is continued with the acoustic tracks ‘Lets Go Down’ (containing beautiful violin excerpts), ‘Girl’ which is full of compassion, ‘My Own Thing’ with its whispered vocals and ‘Dreams’ that tackles those philosophical questions of society and life. Alliance has Chris Holmes from WASP playing the outro lead, which has a very different style compared to the more melodic lead earlier and over all rhythm of the track To break the album up smoothly, Lit Soul introduce a couple of acoustic instrumentals in the form of ‘Flora’ and ‘Zygote’ which are full of emotion and passion. The parts of ‘Libertine Dream’ that really stick out for me are the cleverly thought out ‘Outcast Pts 1 & 2’ and ‘Marionettes’. ‘Outcast Pt 1’ has an REM acoustic air to it. The Stype-like vocals really put across the loneliness of being an outcast of society with its pleading resonance. The clever part for me, is with a swift change of angst in the vocals and the addition of electric guitars, the same lyrics take on a whole new meaning to ‘Pt 1’ as they become angrier and frustrated for ‘Pt 2’. Last but not least, ‘Marionettes’ goes back to the purely acoustic theme with a twist. The lyrics to this are spoken word throughout. They portray a united voice of the American people voicing their concerns and unanswered, unheard questions to their government. Its not the actual content that makes this best experience for me. it’s the way its constructed. So, if your in the mood for rock with something that will get your mind ticking and thinking, definitely give them a try. If not and you just want good listening, they tick this box also. You can find more information at: www. myspace. com/litsoul and www. cdbaby. com/litsoul3 Sonia Waterfield ------------------------------ Libertine Dream Lit Soul Review By Jade Blackmore SOHB Blog http://slumshollywood. blogspot. com/ Libertine Dream, the brainchild of musician/poet Rob Chevelle, is a rare bird in today’s musical climate. A collection of 15 hard rock songs with genuine poetry dotting some of the tracks, it bucks the indie/emo/screamo trends and honors unadorned rock with reflective lyrics in the vein of the Cult. The CD has that hard rock attitude complete with acoustic interludes, thoughtful poetry and heartfelt (but not heavy-handed) political statements. Libertine Dream combines all these elements seamlessly. Instead of implementing the mishmash approach of throwing in an acoustic song here, a rocker there and some poetry over there, Chevelle and co-producer Eliot Waldhorn obviously put a lot of time and thought into arranging the CD to flow together well. Although Chevelle handles vocals, guitar and percussion, there’s a lot to be said for Waldhorn’s guitar playing and drummer Zag Richards, who complement Chevelle’s vision and lyrics with their steady musicianship. And there’s even a metal guest star--Chris Holmes from WASP contributes the guitar outro to “Alliance”, the final song. There are glimpses of Helmet and even Metallica in songs like “Eternal.” The two part “Outcast” begins with a lilting acoustic poem and segues into melodic metal for the closing half. “Dreams” does have a soothing, dream-like quality and lends itself to listening via candles and incense in the background. This tune definitely has a psychedelic 60s’ Doors vibe. Libertine Dream is the third CD in the “Lit Soul” trilogy. Seven Worlds, released in 2002, was Chevelle’s initial foray into poetic hard rock, while 2005’s Lit Soul-Poetry focused mostly on Chevelle’s stream of consciousness poems (accompanied by guitar and piano).With Libertine Dream, Chevelle’s Lit Soul concept has matured and it’s worth checking out if your like your rock with a twist of poetry. ----------------------------- Review by Darryl Salach -The Toronto Quarterly ‘Libertine Dream’ by Lit Soul is the creation of Rob Chevelle who has incorporated his love for poetry into this collection of rock songs. This is the fourth release under the Lit Soul brand with ‘Birthday Poetry’ released in 2007, ‘Lit Soul I – Seven Worlds’ released in 2002 and ‘Lit Soul – Poetry’ released in 2005. This record is a masterful blend of personal life experience and political consciousness. It’s reverent with today’s political climate, with all of the economic strife in America and Sarah Palin avoiding the press; ordinary citizens have been put on the hot seat. This record and its message is perfect timing in regards to personifying a need for change. I wouldn’t go so far as to compare Chevelle with Bob Dylan and his songs of protest from the 60’s that seemingly moved a nation and helped change a repressed mindset, but these are different times we live in and these are important songs. With the song, ‘In the Eyes of America (Petrified Time)’, is a wake-up call asking all of us to climb aboard the ‘freedom’ train. The lyrics tell it all, You don’t get it/ You’ve got to live it up/ You don’t mean it/ You’ve got to free it up/ You can’t have it/ Revolt right rip the cuffs/ We are the outlaws/ In the eyes of America. There is a lot of truth in the track, ‘Outcast Parts I & II’, which pokes fun at the times we live in with the lines, I am an actor of life/ I know/ People sit and watch TV/ What a hoax/ I am an outcast of life/ I know/ You are different from me/ I hope. The song, ‘Alliance’, is the most political on the record with Chevelle crying out for change with these passionate lines, See now look at our lives/ Scream now history’s bloodied mouth/ Feed the rich harvest the poor/ Revolution is in our eyes. The record was produced and written by Rob Chevelle and co-produced by Eliot Waldhorn with help from Zag Richards on drums, Victoria White on cello, Chris Holmes on Outro lead and the beautiful Ma’ria Decsy on background vocals. Chevelle is planning to play some live shows in the Los Angeles, California area in the near future. I recommend you give this record a listen; you won’t be disappointed. For more information on how to purchase a copy of ‘Libertine Dream’