The Ground By Hallvard Godal featuring Richard Burgess

 

The Ground

By

Hallvard Godal featuring Richard Burgess

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

What maybe a little known fact, is that back at the end of the last century I cut my radio presentation teeth by hosting a show on local radio in the UK called One World Party, there weren’t many stations broadcasting World music in 1998 in the UK, now also my first love would happen to be progressive rock, however I would have to wait some 20 years before hosting a prog show on radio, but here today I have the best of both worlds and more, as I take a look The Ground by Hallvard Godal featuring Richard Burgess.

This refreshing new release contains the artistic vocals of Richard Burgess, which at times reminded me of the band Caravan way back in the day, but mixed with an Afro Beat styled percussive rhythm, with regard to that take a listen to the opening piece entitled Hello Hello as an example.

This 9 track album is packed with inventive and exciting new offerings that bridge many styles and cross many genres; Inert takes us into a prog rock manifested global fusion of both Peter Gabriel and perhaps even Osibisa. There are so many eclectic offerings on this album, one that took my ear and eye would be the title track The Ground, a fast paced offering that powers ever onward with the added electronic wizardry that is contained within.

There is literally a multitude of instrumentation upon this stunning album, including, and unusually, the Banjo courtesy of Kim Johannesen on Spinning His Way, this for me was a sublime composition, containing a globally fused manifestation and the ever classy voice of Burgess almost giving us an Ian Anderson moment.

I have to admit being a prog fan and with my back ground, listening to The Ground by Hallvard Godal is somewhat of a guilty pleasure, and its albums like this that keep me going in a world of banality in main stream music, the concluding gift of musical greatness truly reminded me of Gabriel and perhaps Red Rain, the mixture of pop, prog and world vibes all rolled into one gloriously sumptuous offering on the track Not In Range.

The Ground by Hallvard Godal featuring Richard Burgess was just what I needed; its artistically nuanced manifestations were a refreshing and somewhat reassuring collection of craft-fully created compositions for me to hear, we must also pay homage to the band and their incredibly eclectic collections of instrumentations, Hallvard Godal, harmonium, mellotron, saxophone, clarinet, backing vocals and synths, Steinar Nickelsen synth & Hammond B3 organ, Nikolai Hængsle bass, Erik Nylander drums & percussion and of course the aforementioned Kim Johannesen on banjo.

If you are a music lover who simply craves for something fresh, new and exciting, then you must seek out this album, as The Ground by Hallvard Godal featuring Richard Burgess will give you that sense and taste of musical satisfaction you haven’t had for simply years.