ROINE STOLT – Wall Street Voodoo

Flower King Roine Stolt goes flower power with his latest solo effort, the double album Wall Street Voodoo: he’s back to his roots, which is the Bluesy and Pyschedelic Rock of the late 1960’s. The album offers an in-your-face statement on the Western world’s downward commercial spiral, accompanied by an attempted vintage live feel.

The Music

Right from the start, you’ll find the groove and phrasing of any influential band of the era mentioned. The sound is also down the same street, and the improvised parts sound spontaneous and live. The odd element becomes the vocal lines, as they have little or no identity. Instead, Stolt mostly sings with a totally basic Blues phrasing, and one song wouldn’t differ from the other if it wasn’t for the variations in groove and atmosphere.

It’s symptomatic for Wall Street Voodoo that solos and improvised parts drift off and result in oversized songs. In that respect, the shorter and more disciplined songs tend to have more to offer. “Everyone Wants To Rule The World,” “Unforgiven,” and Delta Blues-inspired “Mercy” are obvious highlights, closely followed by “Dog With A Million Bones” and the funky “It’s All About Money.”

The Band

Roine Stolt solo is a seven-piece band. Apart from himself on vocals and guitar, familiar faces are found in Neal Morse (vocals, keyboards; ex-Spock’s Beard), Hasse Bruniusson (percussion; ex-Flower Kings), and Marcus Liliequist (new drummer of The Flower Kings). Completing the line-up are Victor Woof (bass), Slim Pothead (keyboards), and Gonzo Geffen (percussion, looping): it’s fair to suspect these three travel incognito due to contractual restrictions, since musicians of this caliber would have been discovered long back and certainly remembered with names like that!

Anyhow, the spotlight is on Roine Stolt. Whether he’s laying down some groovy riff, soaring off into solo-land, or spewing out his contempt and agony, he remains the pivot point of the merry-go-round.

The Verdict

This is not music for the masses, although his message deserves a large audience. It’s also ironic that he claims “Everybody Is Trying To Sell You Something,” and he obviously has at least a slight commercial interest in his own product, right? Still, the weakest point of this album is its lack of discipline and lack of heat. Sure, the grooves are well-tempered, but with the shape of his political statement and little or no melody, it comes out as cold and almost cynical.

Apart from the lyrics, Wall Street Voodoo is easy come and easy go for many, an interesting time travel for some, but a must have for followers of Roine Stolt and his numerous constellations. The rest will be happier with Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, Peter Green, or whomever you favor from the time of flower power.