Window to the Soul

John Payne, former head of the progressive melodic rock flagship Asia, did magic with albums such as Aqua and Aria, both of which are considered milestones in the world of sophisticated rock music. Now, with Window To The Soul, Payne celebrates and enjoys a stunning kick-off with the GPS debut, leaving no questions unsaid with regard to song writing and production. Payne recruited the talents of SpockÂ's BeardÂ's keyboard wizard Ryo Okumoto to ensure the fullest from this new and exciting project. Window To The Soul is classic melodic prog rock with influences from the 70Â's and contemporary sounds; real ear candy for music lovers!
Customer Review: It is SOOOO good!!!
I love the Payne era ASIA. I kid you not that this CD has been in my SUV for over 2 months and I cannot stop listening to it. I would compare it somewhat to the CD ARIA in that it approaches the ASIA sound from a more hard rock avenue. I also hear alot of stuff like the song FREE off of AURA (my favorite ASIA cd of all time). The guitar playing by Govan is off the charts on the CD and I think the new Keyboardist sounds as good as Geoff Downes has ever sounded. No offense to MR. Downes but it is just that good!! The melodies are superb and I like the longer songs. I agree with the one reviewer that said that John Payne oversings now and again but that does not deter me from giving it a strong five stars. One of the best purchases I have made in 2007!!!!
Customer Review: JOHN PAYNE & GPS deliver an album of powerful, passionate Prog-Rock & AOR. One of the finest releases of 2006.
As most reading this review will probably already know, "Window To the Soul" is the debut album from GPS, a band born out of the ashes of (the latter-day incarnation of) rock supergroup ASIA - featuring ex-Asia members John Payne (lead vocals, bass), Guthrie Govan (guitar)and Jay Schellen (drums), joined by new keyboard player Ryo Okumoto (Spock's Beard). Now, just to give you an idea of the perspective from which I am writting this review...Like many, I was extremely disappointed when the news first came across the Asiaworld website that Geoff Downes and John Payne had disolved their creative relationship, with Downes leaving to participate in a reunion tour with the original Asia line-up. While I enjoyed the original Asia band back in their heyday, I must say that over the years I have come to heavily prefer the John Payne-era. In fact, I believe Payne, with his soulful voice and thoughtful lyrics, gave the band a creative shot in the arm at a time when they could have just as easily turned into an irrelevant nostalgia act. Between 1994 and 2006 I saw the Payne-led Asia in concert five times, looked-forward to each new CD upon its release, met most of the band members, and even helped to arrange one of their acoustic "Asia Across America" dates. So, you could say I am something of a fanatic for Payne-era Asia. While others are certainly free to disagree, I honestly believe that Asia produced their most creative, progressive, and diverse music with Payne at the healm - with "Aura" and "Silent Nation" standing as the best albums of their career...So, how does the new band, GPS, stack up against the best work of Asia??? Incredibly well, I'm happy to report - but this is a band that, thankfully, does more than simply live up to past glories. While several of the recognizable hallmarks of Payne-era Asia are evident throughout this album, there are also some new elements to the sound that help to give GPS their own identity as a band. For one, many of the the song structures are much more progressive & dynamic - with several "epic" pieces clocking in the 8 to 10 minute range. The instrumental breaks are, likewise, more nusanced and complex. There is also a heavier, more agressive side to some of the music, but thankfully the heavy bits are infused with a strong sense of melody and song-craft, and never devolve into the annoying heavy metal "shreading" that weighs down the work of some of GPS' Inside Out labelmates. As for the indivdual performances - John Payne's distinctive voice is, as usual, quite stunning on this album, and his performances are full of passion, humanity, and (quite often) some aggressive grit! Payne's bass work also seems much more prominant in this new band. Drummer Jay Schellen (also known for his work with prog bands World Trade and Conspiracy) turns in some of his most impressive work to date, and helps add a lot of dynamic thunder to the arrangements. Guthrie Govan gets much more room to stretch out as a soloist than he did on the "Silent Nation" or "America" CDs, and his dexterious (but melodic) fret-work adds vibrant color to every track. Not being much of a Spock's Beard fan, I was initially worried about how Ryo Okumoto might fit into this band - but I now must admit he does an EXCELLENT job here! Ryo does not try to mimic Geoff Downes style at all, but brings a slightly more experimental, quirky keyboard sound to the band (just one more thing that helps to give GPS a distinct identity apart from Asia.) Ryo has some impressive solo spots throughout the album, and proves that he is indeed the right man for the job! Lyrically, this album continues Payne's exploration of spiritual and moral themes (see "New Jerusalem", "Written On the Wind", and the title track)- as well as continuing the tradition of powerful anti-war sentiments that have been a running-thread through nearly every Asia album ("The Objector" tells the story of a young conscientious objector who is forced onto the battlefield against his will and is tragically killed.) There are also a few standard rock & roll "relationship" lyrics ("Since You've Been Gone", "Gold"), but Payne is such an interesting writer that even his lighter fare has a strong emotional undertone. As for picking favorite songs; this is a bit difficult as I literally love every track on the album. But if I was hard-pressed, I would say that "New Jerusalem" and "Taken Dreams" are two tracks that nicely sum up everything that is great about this band...In closing, while the sudden disbanding of Payne-era Asia was unfortunate, I'm very glad to see that Payne, Govan, and Schellen have continued together to create some of the most creative, challenging music of their careers, rather than heading in a more commercially "safe" direction. As for the original Asia reunion??? Well, to put things in perspective, the newest song in their concert set list is from 1983! Let Downes and company have their nostalgia tours - but it's GPS that I choose to support with my time and money. All in all, "Window To the Soul" is a must for fans of John Payne, and also highly recommended to general Progeressive Rock/AOR fans.

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By: Dennis Brekke