Elements of Persuasion

Product Description
Dream Theater stunned the world of music with the release of their 1991 gold record release, Images and Words and have since gone on to sell millions of CDs worldwide and are now recognized as one of the greatest progressive rock acts of all-time. One of the most vital components of Dream Theater’s trademark sound is undoubtedly the incredible vocal force of James LaBrie. Blessed with unrivaled power and an almost inhuman vocal range, LaBrie lets himself stretch out far beyond the boundaries of Dream Theater. And hey, isn’t that what a solo album is really for?

On Elements of Persuasion James surrounds himself once again with world-class musicians and describes the sound on E.O.P. as effectively traversing the distance between the moody and atmospheric and heavy and experimental. New sounds and recording techniques are in abundance.

Engineered by Richard Chycki (Aerosmith, Seal, Pink, Mick Jagger), Elements of Persuasion adds new facets to James LaBrie’s already sparkling career.

Look for James LaBrie to tour in the U.S. in April 2005

Elements of Persuasion,James LaBrie,Inside Out U.S.,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop

Elements of Persuasion

Average customer rating:

A great break from Dream Theater
Great CD for Dream Theater Fans
Its like Dream Theater, but Less Good
To Be Succinct
Excelente comienzo

Elements of Persuasion
James LaBrie
Manufacturer: Inside Out U.S.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Octavarium
The Black Halo
Mullmuzzler 2
Keep It to Yourself
Dream Theater - Score: 20th Anniversary World Tour Live with the Octavarium Orchestra

ASIN: B0007R8FHQ
Release Date: 2005-03-29

Tracks:

Crucify
Alone
Freak
Invisible
Lost
Undecided
Smashed
Pretender
Slightly Out Of Reach
Oblivious
In Too Deep
Drained

Album Description

Dream Theater stunned the world of music with the release of their 1991 gold record release, Images and Words and have since gone on to sell millions of CDs worldwide and are now recognized as one of the greatest progressive rock acts of all-time. One of the most vital components of Dream Theater's trademark sound is undoubtedly the incredible vocal force of James LaBrie. Blessed with unrivaled power and an almost inhuman vocal range, LaBrie lets himself stretch out far beyond the boundaries of Dream Theater. And hey, isn't that what a solo album is really for?

Engineered by Richard Chycki (Aerosmith, Seal, Pink, Mick Jagger), Elements of Persuasion adds new facets to James LaBrie's already sparkling career.

Look for James LaBrie to tour in the U.S. in April 2005

Customer Reviews:

A great break from Dream Theater.......2007-06-22

Being that James LaBrie is the lead singer for one of today's premier progressive metal bands, Dream Theater, comparisons to that band are inevitable. I'm a big DT fan, so if anything I write from hear on out sounds like a DT putdown, it isn't meant that way.
Having said that, I can say this: Want to know what this album is? Basically, take all the fantastic, heavy guitar riffing from DT and concentrate on that. Minimize the progressive tripping but still make the songs long enough that they leave you feeling fulfilled. No 3 1/2 minutes-and-I'm-gone stuff here.
I'm a hit-or-miss prog-metal fan, so for me this album is simply fantastic. So often when listening to DT, out slams this wonderful, chunky, deep guitar riff and I'm jammin' along. Then, 8 seconds later, it's completely abandoned as they go off on some tangent. That's the nature of prog-metal and not a criticism of DT (remember my first paragraph above), but not always what I want. Much of the time I WANT THAT RIFF. James serves them up, song after song, with a truly talented guitarist and backing band.
That's not to say the songs are one-dimensional, either. There's variety here, and he tries a few things you might not expect (turntable scratching on a metal song? Whod've thunk it? *chuckle*). I've read criticisms of his voice, but I don't know what planet those people live on. James has a great voice and uses it well throughout this album.
This is metal how it should be done, in my humble opinion. Heavy but not annoyingly fast, great drums that don't overwhelm, an excellent groove and great singing. And solos, for crying out loud! Nu-metal fans probably won't know what they're hearing. Hey guys, guess what those skinnier strings on the guitar are for!
Oops, got a little silly there, sorry. I just love this album. The songs are distinct and fresh. The vocals are excellent. The lyrics aren't about breasts, beer and partying 'till you drop. Highly recommended!

Great CD for Dream Theater Fans.......2007-01-03

This man can sing!!! It's a nice change of musical styles from LaBrie's Dream Theater gig, but still, his vocal prowess shines through on all the cuts. Well worth the listen

Its like Dream Theater, but Less Good.......2006-07-20

Theres a funny story that goes with this. My friend said he downloaded Octavarium and it sucked. Since Octavarium is great I went to find out what had happened. Turns out he downloaded this album. The guitar player does a good Petrucci, but hes not Petrucci. The keyboard is cheesey and doesn't come close to Jordan Rudess. And overall the songs are a lot less progressive than DT and don't have the virtuosity element. There are some good guitar solos but thats about everything technical. I'd give it a 2.5. LaBrie does a great job on this albums vocals so if your a fan of his singing by all means buy it. If your looking for more Dream Theater, stay away.

To Be Succinct.......2006-07-03

I haven't got much time these days, but I wish to share my thoughts on a few excellent albums recently.

James Labrie's 2005 effort brings to mind alot of old progressive metal. This is along the melodic lines of Images and Words progressive music rather than the more complex Six Degrees, streamlined Octavarium, and heavier Train of Thought. Another reasonable comparison would be the Mullmuzzler efforts, another project also fronted by Labrie. In fact, I think that some of the Mullmuzzler crew are also featured on this "solo" record. Don't be fooled, this is not a James LaBrie solo concerto, it is merely that the movements and musical direction are led by him.

Who is it recommended for? As a Dream Theater fan, most rabid about their I&W and Six Degrees albums, I'd say this is a very strong effort by LaBrie. The opener is a heavy metal song along the lines of classic 80s metal, and the rest is extremely melodic. Recommended most for DT fans of "Images & Words" and "Six Degrees", but all DT fans should find a great, great deal to appreciate on this latest effort from the DT frontman.

Excelente comienzo.......2006-05-23

Tiene todos los elementos necesarios para ser un gran disco de heavy-trash. Puedes oir muy buenas canciones, grandes músicos, asombrosa producción. Atención con unos sonidos, a los que les llamo, raros pero que de ninguna manera dañan el producto final.
La bateria a cargo del señor Mike Mangini es brillante, las guitarras del italiano Marco Sfogli fantasticas. La voz de LaBrie perfecta como siempre. El unico pero es que esperaba mejores baladas. Musicalmente este disco va por "Awake" de Dream Theater pero sobre todo tiene mucho de "Train of Thought"

Average customer rating:

A Solo Project by Dream Theater's Singer

Elements of Persuasion
James Labrie
Manufacturer: Evolution Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock & Metal | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0009YNRCU
Release Date: 2005-07-04

Tracks:

Crucify
Alone
Freak
Invisible
Lost
Undecided
Smashed
Pretender
Slightly Out Of Reach
Oblivious
In Too Deep
Drained
Understand (Bonus Track)

Album Description

Asian exclusive! Debut solo album from Dream Theater's vocalist. Includes one bonus track 'Understand'. Evolution. 2005.

Album Details

Debut Solo Album from the Dream Theater's Vocalist.

Customer Reviews:

A Solo Project by Dream Theater's Singer.......2005-12-04

Anyone who is even a minor fan of Progressive Metal knows who Dream Theater is and by extension, who James LaBrie is as well. Dream Theater is the numero uno Progressive Metal band in the Universe and James Labrie is their singer.

Elements of Persuasion is a solo album by the prodigious, signature voice of Dream Theater. LaBrie had occasionally ventured out from the confines of his band, such as his side projects like Mullmuzzler and recently as the most prominent guest vocalist on Ayreon's blockbuster new rock opera The Human Equation but this is his first solo album in his name.

The obvious question is, does Elements of Persuasion sound like Dream Theater? The even more obvious answer is in fact another question. Do you want it to sound like Dream Theater? If the answer is yes, then you will find enough Dream Theater to make it a worth while purchase. If the answer is no, then my next question is, what are you doing reading a James LaBrie review?

"Crucify" has a strong DT feel starting out with the acoustic guitar riff from "Change of Seasons", ultimately deferring to the heavy guitar and bass sound reminiscent of many of the songs from "Train of Thought" though with a bouncier beat.

"Alone" introduces a little electronica and a herky jerky beat. It may appeal to some but not moi.

"Freaks" Is a decent song with a strong rhythm of double bass drums and bass guitar. Again we have a touch of electronica.

"Invisible" is my highest rated song on the album. LaBrie uses his querulous voice, sometimes double tracked and some heavy musical sections to weave through a slightly ominous sounding number.

"Lost" is just a little milder then most of the previous songs. The La Brie vocal is quite mellow and atmospheric, as is the song itself.

"Undecided" starts out pretty cool with a nifty guitar and keyboard sound but it seems to get boring shortly after the beginning.

"Smashed" Is the first and lesser of two ballads. It has a nice piano intro and a pleasant melody that reminds me of Bruce Hornsby. (I'm serious) Overall this is a pretty good ballad but I think "Slightly out of Reach" is better.

"Pretender" is another song that starts out interesting enough but isn't able to maintain the momentum. It is a medium paced number that I found boring.

"Slightly out of Reach" is my second favorite song. A very nice slightly upbeat ballad. As with the sister ballad there is a strong presence of the accompanying piano.

"Oblivious" This song takes the heaviness of the early songs and mixes in the milder aspects of the latter songs in the choruses.

"In Too Deep" ia a medium paced song with another nifty heavy/atmospheric beginning.

"Drained" Strong song. Heavy instrumentation with La Brie slowly singing the verses which are in turn answered by the keyboard, a nice touch that I haven't heard before.

CONCLUSION

I guess you could say that Elements of Persuasion is truly a solo album since none of the accompanying musicians are from Dream Theater and yet there is that unmistakable DT flavor permeating most of the album.

In my opinion Elements of Persuasion is not a great album, in fact it's barely a very good album but it does have it's moments. Other than a couple very nice ballads, many of the songs, such as "Invisible", feature heavy bass playing, reminiscent of DT's latest release Train of Thought. Some of the songs start well but seem to lose their way. While there are a few of pretty good to great songs here, I must admit there isn't any that I couldn't live without but I'm afraid that it's close enough that you shouldn't take my word for it. You need to make your own decision.