Customer Reviews

Mimi's Magic Moment

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mimi's Magic Moment, by the brilliant, Chattanooga-based quartet Salem Hill, consists of four epic songs in the classic progressive rock style, distinguished by memorable melodies, intelligently varied tempos, instrumental virtuosity, complex melodic interplay, sophisticated lyrics, and expressive vocals. As always, Carl Groves' tenor voice is a great strength, and the complex vocal harmonies are used to grand and stirring effect, as in the chorus of "All Fall Down." Guest performers such as singer Neal Morse, keyboardist Fred Schendel of Glass Hammer, and Kansas violinist David Ragsdale add further variety to the band's distinctive sound. The overall effect of the recording is that of a masterful group of musician/composers at the top of their game.

On "Mimi's Magic Moment", Salem Hill (like Glass Hammer) unabashedly pulls out nearly all of the classic progressive rock cliches to which we became accustomed in the 1970's - lush synthesizers, fast organ solos, the occasional odd meter and key change, epic-length tracks, inspiring lyrics, etc.

At first listen, I sort of held that against them, and was looking for something a bit more original and perhaps less mellow. But I could not deny that they play this type of music flawlessly well, and I actually found myself humming some of the refrains and melodies only a day or so after I had purchased the cd. This is a pretty good album.

Their sound is closest to Glass Hammer and Kansas on this cd - two groups that I really like. (Lo and behold, GH's Fred Schendel plays piano on one song, and David Ragsdale from late Kansas is all over this thing.) I'm also a sucker for vibraphone and tubular bells, which are sprinkled in here and there. Neal Morse's vocals on the first track are an added plus too, though I find the vocals by Carl Groves and others to be very good in their own right.

There is over 62 minutes of music comprised of just four songs on this album, each between 7 and 21 minutes. It seems like their modus operandi on most songs are:
1.) Start with slower ballad-like singing in 4/4 time.
2.) Kick it into faster, odd-tempo jazz/prog instrumental for a few minutes
3.) Return to song and resolve the story.

Their instrumental sections really are fun, if somewhat familiar sounding at times. And their lyrics fit the songs well, even if they tend to be a little bit cheesy in places. I really like the symbolic meaning behind the lyrics of "The Joy Gem" in particular. And you'll be singing along on the inspirational refrain of "Stolen By Ghosts" on the very first listen. If you enjoy classic symphonic prog played in a modern way with crystal clear production, you will not be disappointed with "Mimi"...whoever she is.

I value interesting music that is played and recorded well. This cd's rating was based on:
Music quality = 8.8/10; Performance = 9/10; Production = 9.5/10; CD length = 10/10.
Overall score weighted on my proprietary scale = 9.1 ("4-1/2 stars")

Salem Hill plays a genre of music that is alive and well among the musical cognoscenti but one that is almost completely ignored by the music press. I read both Mojo and Uncut music magazines and while they are very good, I have never seen an article or CD review of Salem Hill or of any of my other favorite modern progressive rock bands. This means that a lot of great music made by musicians who are not commercial hacks goes unheard by many who would be eager to hear it if they knew of its existence. Thankfully, the internet has played a key role in getting this quality music out to at least some people beyond the narrow confines of a band's social circle or regional venues.
Mimi's Magic Moment is a magic moment indeed for all prog lovers. Although it follows a tried and true prog rock formula outlined by other reviewers, it is neither trite nor boring.
I like the entire CD. Here is what you can expect to hear.
1)Joy Gem: Mellow vocals featuring Neal Morse segues into a jazzy progressive interlude and back again. Great Strings!
2)All Fall Down: Harmony-laden pop with a spectacular flute/guitar interlude.
3)Stolen By Ghost: A great song with a gripping interlude. After a return to the opening theme, a bold Procol Harum-like instrumental leads into vocal finale.
4)Future Me:Leads with a driving fusion-like variation on a previously developed theme, interior vocals, then some great keyboard work leading to the ending. What a CD!
I liked Mimi's Magic Moment the first time I heard it and like it even more every time I listened. This CD is the second one I've bought by Salem Hill and it has me eager to hear more. If you like prog rock, be sure not to miss this winner!

3 1/2

One of those middle-of-the-road modern progressive releases that is all too common these days in walking the line between accessibility and complexity. Fortunately, there is enough passionate playing going on here, in typical epic-prog-rock fashion, to warrant a listen for all those still invested in the dying genre.

If you are a fan of progressive music, or just want to listen to something a bit more sophisticated than the current Top 40 dreck, BUY THIS ALBUM, it is great! It is made up of 4 longer songs, each with superb musicianship, terrific vocals and appealing melodies. I think it is important to support these kind of throw-back bands (who form coincidentally and write their own material), which in mnay cases surpass more popular acts in terms of talent and music.

I don't think I have enjoyed a new album (new to me, that is) more than MMM in 2010. Highly recommended!

Salem Hill (who are actually from Nashville, not Chattanooga) have been around for several years and always put out intelligent, thought-provoking music. This album (as has been mentioned in other reviews) finds them experimenting with longer song forms, to mostly good results. You can get it cheaper at the band's website than the third party vendors, though ([...])!

The band took several years to come up with the follow up to "Be". They also signed to Progrock records for this release. Although "Mimi" is a very good album I don't think it is quite up to the level of it's predecessor. The band brought in a slew of special guests for this one including David Ragsdale (Kansas), Neal Morse (Spock's Beard), Fred Schendel (Glass Hammer) and Randy George (Ajalon). The album clocks in at over an hour, but only features four tracks. This is truly the bands most "progressive" effort with all of the tracks long and epic in scope. My favorite song on the album is the Michael Dearing entry "Stolen By Ghosts". It is an emotional roller coaster ride with Dearing contributing some of best vocals yet and plenty of instrumental power. The first track "The Joy Jem" sounds a lot like something Kansas might do and indeed David Ragsdale is all over it. Neal Morse contributes co lead vocals with Carl Groves and for the most part it works. The final track "The Future Me" is pure Carl Groves song craft. If you like his writing style you should love this one to close out the album. All in all I still like "Be" a bit better than this one, but it is certainly another very strong effort from the Salem Hill bunch.