Some times you can come back home. To be frank, I had never heard much of the British band- Charlie, and was ignorant that they had reformed.
For people not in the know (such as myself), Charlie is a band that was formed by band leader Terry Thomas back in 1971 and it ended with the last album in 1986. Their musical sound veered towards a straight US AOR sound spattered with British sensibilities. And of course, you know that they are back in action.
Band leader Terry Thomas (who produced, wrote, sang and played guitar on the album), is the mastermind behind the reformation. Armed with keyboardist Julian Colbeck (ex-Steve Hackett and AWBH), and his strong use of textures and chords, they have put out a good straightforward rock album.
`Kitchen's of Distinction' has a more British sounding album than what little old Charlie songs I have heard (past Charlie sound was heavily influenced by North American album-oriented rock).
What I like about the album is that the disc contains fresh and `fun' lyrics that have that dark humorous feel (like what Steve Hackett used to emote), as well as a nice helping of sarcasm. Songs such as- Popstar', 'Shit TV' target a a few elements of our world's crappy culture.
But does this sound like a second coming of Frank Zappa? No! The music, is strong, but rarely meshes with other musicalities. Hence Charlie's songs are straight at ya; and, though extremely strong, competent and polished, doesn't really veer into progressive or more creative circles. This doesn't make the music less important, but this is a prog site; I did not hear many prog influences, especially with a talented keyboardist with such a `progressive' background as Mr. Colbeck.
Regardless of its direction, you can not dismiss the fact that Terry Thomas knows his stuff. The sound quality and production values are excellent. Think a modern sound, dabbled with 80's techniques. Also, when you check out various tracks such as `'West Coast Thing,' it is evident that the guitar is the alpha instrument on the album. Thomas' fret work is strong and confident. His style is amply evident on the opening track- "Get a life," which IMHO might be the best track of the CD.
Since this isn't a prog album, it is a tough disc to grade. As an AOR release, this album has all the chops, and bells and whistles; it is an excellent piece of music and quite listenable. But on a prog site? Yet, if you are a borderline prog fan that likes classic hard rock, don't be afraid to check out quality craftsmanship. They might not have the `name,' but they have the talent.
For AOR fans- 9.3 out of 10 rating
For strict prog fans- (a lot lower).
