Reviewed by Tom Lennie

No one can criticise this Florida-based musician for lacking in musical originality! Mind you, if you read through the lyric sheet on its own, the term "poetic genius" hardly comes to mind - bland, repetitive clichés, seemingly lacking in stimulation. When you stick the disc on, however, you witness creativity in musical motion. Daghir creates vocal and musical soundscapes that are dramatic, exciting and surprising. Often based on his own keyboard base with electric guitar and drum accompaniment, these are melodramatic slices of progressive rock, at times almost in the vein of Queen. Roger was personally inspired by musicians such as Yes, Keith Green and Kenny Livgren, and one can detect influences of all three in these stunning, constantly changing sounds. Track eight is a thoroughly striking instrumental, overlaid with the challenging refrain "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." This is invigorating stuff, though not always easy to listen to. If he could obtain top-notch recording and production facilities, Daghir could come up with a real winner.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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