This is the 3rd CD by Band of Rain. It is the first album with Sharon Leslie writing and performing the vocals - and what vocals! This CD is a bit darker than the previous 2, but retains the unique sound of Gills guitar work. This CD actually verges on being gothic in many ways, but in no way is it a morbid or doom album. It is also a more metal album than the other 2, with very powerful guitar riffs that will go in to your subconcious and remain there. There are some very catchy choons on here ! There is a great balancing act to have a gothic style album with lots of guitar and driving beats, which at the same time,allows you to chill out to it. Sharon Leslie's voice puts you in mind of Grace Slick. They are still rehearsing and bouncing round members , but they should be on the road very soon.... Check out the samples and take a chance on this one, you won't be sorry Oh check out the previous 2 Deep Space 2004 and Garlands 2005 Below is a review by Duncan Glenday of Sea of Tranquility website.www.seaoftranquility.org Our thanks go to him.... Band Of Rain: Arts And Allurements Funny - the title track is one of the shortest pieces on the record, at just three-and-a-bit minutes. It starts as a hard instrumental rocker, then develops into a vocal-driven piece that would have been at home on the stage of Woodstock '69. More important - that song is representative of the rest of the music on the CD, and it heralds the direction that Chris Gill has chosen to take his music. Band Of Rain used to be a spacey, ethereal outfit, somewhat typical of one-man projects. Pleasing music but somewhat unsubstantial. The new record is different: Gutsy, fronted by a powerful female vocalist, and bordering on a goth-rock sound. Think Pink Floyd meets Heart. New singer Sharon Leslie has stamped her authority on Arts And Allurements. Remember the new vocalist for Flamborough Head, Margriet Boonsma? The singing is similar to her timbre - not much range, it even gets a bit gruff in places, but it's a wonderfully strong low-register contralto, melodic, and played through just enough reverb to make it rich and appealing. Think modern-era Porcupine Tree fronted by Lana Lane singing in her lower ranges. But is isn't all about the vocals. Chris Gill has injected a heavy dose of testosterone into this album. Listen to "Monument", the 9-1/2 minute mini-epic. It has a constantly shifting structure, heavy in parts, restless, and led by those appealing vocals and strong but lazy guitar work played over an insistent, dynamic rhythm. Even the fast sections of the long guitar solo toward the end somehow seem languid. There's a sort of Floydian vibe to this music. It doesn't sound like Pink Floyd, but it fits into that general mold: Clean instrumentation that runs from hard-rocking to lazy and ambient, nicely played, some electronica - but not too much, not enormously complex but with song structures that constantly shift and develop over the length of each track. Progressive tendencies, bordering on approachable. Band Of Rain has progressed beyond a man with a studio and an idea to a band with a mission and the balls to achieve it. The new direction is pleasing, and it will be rewarding to watch where they go from here - 'cuz you can be sure the next record won't be anything like this one. This is nod-your-head, tune-in, zone-out stuff that insists on multiple replays. Track Listing: 1. Their Mistake 2. The Devil's Debts 3. Stars Beneath The Sea 4. Vampire 5. Drusilla 6. Arts & Allurements 7. The Innocence 8. Pan 9. Monument 10.The Deep Added: May 31st 2007 Reviewer: Duncan Glenday Score: 4.5 stars Related Link: The Artist's Website Hits: 55 Language: english