01	The Prayer						02:29
	02	The Hero From Cloud City						08:41
	03	Back to the African Garden						06:36
	04	Picture						04:19
	05	Walkabout						06:03
	06	The Horses From Zaad						05:27
	07	A Beautiful Mind						05:57
	08	The Happy Frog						06:35
	09	Morning Will Come						08:45
	10	The Night Will Fall						09:28

Tomas Bodin - Sonic Boulevard

Released: 2003
Label: InsideOut Music America / InsideOut / SPV
Cat. No.: IOMCD 138 / SPV 085-65972 CD
Total Time:


Reviewed by: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck, September 2003
Sonic Boulevard is Tomas Bodin's follow up to his successful second solo album Pinup Guru. The trademark progressive-rock keyboards are evident once again but this time out jazz fusion makes a much stronger presence. At times, I felt I could have been listening to Return to Forever or a similar group, the music is that polished and perfected.

I found this CD to be very tasteful and eclectic while maintaining a strong production value throughout. His band mates from The Flower Kings, Jonas Reingold (bass) Zoltan Csorsz (drums), help his cause as well. They manage to keep the TFK references to a minimum and allow Bodin to leave his own imprint on the sound, thereby making it a true solo album, not something for fans to compare to his full time gig. The more I hear the band members of TFK play on their own and together, the more I realize how each one of them is a star in their own right. This CD is more proof of that fact.

Rating: 4.5/5

[See also Bobo's review -ed.]

Tomas Bodin - Sonic Boulevard

Released: 2003
Label: InsideOut Music America / InsideOut / SPV
Cat. No.: IOMCD 138 / SPV 085-65972 CD
Total Time: 64:24


Reviewed by: John "Bo Bo" Bollenberg, September 2003
I have no problem with the fact that both the Flower Kings and its members have tons of musical ideas, but for the average music lover it becomes an expensive hobby collecting the entire Flower Kings and side projects output. Compared to a lot of similar situations, the solo releases of our beloved friends do indeed include appearances from most of the other bandmembers, so in a way every single solo release does contain a decent amount of pure Flower Kings magic. For his third solo outing, keyboard player Tomas Bodin has been smart enough to enlist Roine Stolt only on two songs, but to give most of the guitar parts to his friend Jocke JJ Marsh. This move means that the typical FK trademark has been masked, as instead Marsh's guitar playing on "The Hero From Cloud City" ranges from Gary Moore to Jeff Beck. The song also illustrates Bodin's great gift what arranging is concerned. Next to the guitar outbursts the song also contains several pure symphonic passages which made me think of The Enid.

Bodin uses a lot of interesting, pleasant sounds turning Sonic Boulevard into the ideal canvas to illustrate his many talents regardless of the musical style he tackles. Over the years we have learned to love and appreciate the person and musician Tomas Bodin so whether as part of the Flower Kings or on his own we do know we can give Tomas every bit of room to improvise as he will always land on his own two feet. In "Back To The African Garden" he does indeed approach different corners from the musical spectrum but in the end it all fits. You have people who make a puzzle by first putting aside the straight edges whilst others put the pieces together by the same colour. Bodin mingles it all together putting a piece left then right then top then bottom yet in the end he delivers the most colourful result! And what better proof of his versatility than with the classical "Picture" where Bodin and piano become as one. This could be ideal music for a movie so if someone in Hollywood is reading this: give the guy a contract! But Sonic Boulevard doesn't stop here as it really is a calling card for the guy's many talents and equally as many faces. On "Walkabout" he even takes on the challenge to work together with African scatting to put his mark on a rather funky piece. Bobby McFerrin eat your heart out! Bodin certainly uses the Swedish multi-cultural environment to his advantage.

I mentioned The Enid before and I have to mention them again when I listen to "A Beautiful Mind." Maybe guitarist Jocke JJ Marsh has listened a lot to the guitar style of Francis Lickerish because it's he who delivers these dreamy sounds. As the composition evolves the guitar becomes very fragile reminding me of some of Jan Akkerman's better moments. Another side of Bodin's complex personality is illustrated by means of the funky "The Happy Frog" which contains some jazzy interventions from Ulf Wallander on saxophone. Most impressive of all is the guitar improvisation by Roine which is so different from what he is famous for. With Thomas adding some Fender Rhodes parts our "frog" sounds like one big jam session. The final two songs are like opposites of each other as one title suggests "Morning Will Come" whilst the other informs us that "The Night Will Fall." "Morning Will Come" sounds as fresh as Vivaldi's "Spring" with Anders Jansson reminding us of the vocal section in Pink Floyd's "Breathe." The build up of "The Night Will Fall" to me has a similar feel like the music of Saint-Preux yet adding some jazzy elemts such as the saxophone and Reingold's fretless bass.

Sonic Boulevard is not the kind of solo album you would normally associate with a keyboard player. Of course you get some nice solos, but throughout the album it's mainly Bodin's sense for composing that is the central idea. Tomas leaves plenty of room for other musicians to get involved, so in the end you get the jazz freedom within a well structured pattern, turning the album into a real calling card for his versatility and talent. To my great relief this is not a Flower Kings album with less guitar and more keyboards. Instead you are treated to a collection of outstanding genius which can stand the test of time with our without the help of the Flower Kings.



Reviewed by: Davide Guidone, October 2003
After Pinup Guru, Tomas Bodin returns with his third release, Sonic Boulevard. And one more time he tries to give to the fans something new and experimental.

While his previous album featured a trio instruments - organ, bass and drums - in the vein of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, this time Bodin introduces a different sound on this new CD, the guitar very much in evidence, well performed by JJ Marsh and Roine Stolt (who appears only on two tracks), and some wonderful sax parts by Ulf Wallander, as usual.

Maybe this work is too hard to listen to sometimes, but Bodin has the necessary ability to let you enjoy his music. The disc is almost all instrumental, except some parts where there are some vocalizations.

The album is full of influences from many genres, but handles each them well, and there are some references to "Garden Of Dreams."

Very good; for TFK fans

Rating: 4/5

[See also Keith's and Bobo's reviews -ed.]


More about Sonic Boulevard:

Track Listing: The Prayer / The Hero From Cloud City / Back To The African Garden / Picture / Walkabout / The Horses From Zaad / A Beautiful Mind / The Happy Frog / Morning Will Come / The Night Will Fall

Musicians:
Tomas Bodin - Keyboards
Jonas Reingold - Bass
Zoltan Csorsz - Drums
Anders Jansson - lead vocals
Jocke JJ Marsh - guitars
Hasse Bruniusson -percussion
Ulf Wallander - sax
Jonas Knutsson - sax
Roine Stolt - guitar
N_Nogo Bjurhall - African scat

Contact:

Website: www.tomasbodin.com
Note: will open new browser window

Discography

An Ordinary Night In My Ordinary Life (1996)
Pinup Guru (2002)
Sonic Boulevard (2003)



Sonic Boulevard
Date of Release Sep 9, 2003

Following only a few months behind Pin-up Guru, Tomas Bodin's third solo album focuses even more on his elegant instrumental songwriting instead of his keyboard chops. Many tracks sound like they could have been part of a Flower Kings' album. Then again, that's what you'd expect with FK members Jonas Reingold, Zoltan Csцrsz, Hans Bruniusson, Ulf Wallander, and its star guitarist Roine Stolt all sitting in with Bodin. The piece "Back to the African Garden" even makes extensive use of a theme the keyboardist has written for the group's epic song "Garden of Dreams" from 1999's Flower Power. That being said, Sonic Boulevard does deploy its own atmospheres. The presence of two singers, Anders Jansson and N'Nogo Bjurhall, both singing wordless lines, helps a lot in defining the album's identity. It is strongly cinematic, especially early on ("The Prayer" with Bjurhall's spine-tingling call, "The Hero from Cloud City,"), thanks to an attempt at fusing African elements in a way that recalls Peter Gabriel's soundtracks without actually reaching that level. Bodin keeps things very neat and tidy. Sometimes the melodies get too sugary sweet, as in "The Happy Frog" (the first half is as trite as a Kenny G tune), "Picture," "The Night Will Fall"), but elsewhere he develops strong themes accompanied by convincing contributions from the aforementioned musicians, plus guitarist Jocke JJ Marsh. "The Hero from Cloud City," "Back to the African Garden," and "The Horses from Zaad" contain fine prog rock moments, but overall this album rocks significantly less than Bodin's previous efforts. On the other hand, it is also less pompous. - Francois Couture

1. The Prayer (Bodin) - 2:29
2. The Hero from Cloud City (Bodin) - 8:41
3. Back to the African Garden (Bodin) - 6:36
4. Picture (Bodin) - 4:19
5. Walkabout (Bodin) - 6:03
6. The Horses from Zaad (Bodin) - 5:27
7. A Beautiful Mind (Bodin) - 5:57
8. The Happy Frog (Bodin) - 6:35
9. Morning Will Come (Bodin) - 8:45
10. The Night Will Fall (Bodin) - 9:28

Hans Bruniusson - Percussion
Ulf Artan Wallander - Sax (Soprano)
Jonas Knutsson - Sax (Soprano)
Tomas Bodin - Arranger, Bass (Vocal), Keyboards, Producer, Engineer, Liner Notes
Roine Stolt - Guitar (Electric)
Thomas Ewerhard - Artwork
Jonas Reingold - Bass (Electric), Mixing, Drum Engineering
Don Azzaro - Mastering
Zoltan Csorsz - Drums
NNogo Bjurhall - Scat

2003 CD Inside Out Music 65972








Interview

Creativity

What were your early musical influences and what made you want to become a musician?
My early influences are from the classics. My first record was Beethoven. Then I started to collect the masters for several years and turned more and more over to the russians like Stravinsky, Schostakovich, Prokofiev. BTW on the new TFK album there will be a part that is almost a copycat of Schostakovich' 10th Symphony.
My older brother was listening to Beatles, so this also influenced me. The reason for being a musician was just an inner feeling. This was what I wanted to do. I made that decicion when I was 14 years old.

Are there any musicians with whom you would like to work, living or dead?
I would very much love to work with Rick Wakeman or Patrick Moraz - I think it could be interesting to have 2 keys.

Can you tell us more about your involvement with the Swedish National Theatre and your acting career?
I wouldn't say that I have a acting career. I have made music for several theatre projects in Sweden. Also I wrote my own play. The first one was called "Ungdoms Sеr" - A story about life for teens between 16-20. (This was before Britney Spears) The second one was called "Skiljsmдssa" which is simply "Divorce". The 3rd one was "En Gammal Meny" ... a comedy about 2 guys running a restaurant.
I have been acting but I have soooooo much respect for the professionals so I prefer to call it "Pretend Acting".
The spring 2002 I composed music for a play at "Dramaten" which is the number one theatre in Sweden. The play was called "The Boston Marriage".


Pinup Guru
Your second solo CD is called 'Pinup Guru' and is being released on the 28th of October Can you tell us about the wide range of influences on the new CD?
You will find influences from typical prog, classic, ethnic, hip-hop, hard rock, negro spirituals...

One particular track - 'Harlem Heat' - features a Gospel section - How did you decide to create this?
I first composed Harlem Heat as a tribute to the private eyes during the '40ies. One day I was recording some handclap on the refrain. I realised that the sound of the handclap was very "gospellish". So from there I decided to make a musical trip into a black church. I felt it was still in the Harlem area.

Are there any guest musicians on 'Pinup Guru'?
The musicians I worked with were Jonas (bass) and Zoltan (drums) from TFK. I wanted to make a trio-keyboard album.

Are you happy with the way this CD has developed?
Yes! So far so good. I am very happy and proud. It has been a very good experience for me.

What is your favourite track?
They are all my babies. Different tracks for different days.

Do you see this as a follow up to 'An Ordinary Night In My Ordinary Life', or as a completely separate statement?
I would say that Pinup Guru is a very much a logical follow on. Still there is a new touch. "An Ordinary Night..." was perhaps more symphonic. Pinup Guru are based on more groove.

Will you be performing any of your solo tracks on the forthcoming TFK tour?
No there will be no Pinup tracks on TFK tour. But there will be a tour together with Jonas, Zoltan and probably Daniel. We will play music from Pinup and from Jonas' Karmakanic album. Also there will be music from the new Holst project.

Equipment & Studio Life
In a previous interview (May 2000), you provided a list of the equipment you use, both live and in the studio. Have there been many changes since this time?
No I would say pretty much the same. I have of course the new Nord Electro.

What do you think of the emergence of software synthesizers, samplers and effects?
The development has been extreme. Today you have all you need plus more in the computer. Actually, Emagic Logic provides everything..... sequencer, hard disk recording, effects, intruments like Hammond, Rhodes, Clavinet and an extremly good sampler. (I am not getting paid for saying this!!!!!)

Will your 'Sonic Boulevard' project with Roine ever see the light of day?
Yes!!!!! There will be an ambient release late next year. I will release it on my own.

Desert Island Discs
What 5 CDs would you take with you if you were stranded on a desert island and why?

Arvo Part "Spiegel Im Spiegel"
Very meditative when I don't find any coconuts
Beatles "All You Need Is Love"
Happiness when you find a coconut.
Korn "Untouchables"
Needed to open up the coconut
Fleshquartet "Goodbye Sweden"
In order to acclimatise after dinner (of coconut).
Frank Sinatra "My Way"
Mental encouragement after 200,567 coconuts!

Tomas, thank you for taking the time to answer these questions.


Author: Cliff Pearson Published: 09/10/2002