js In the mid 70s, as the genres of jazz fusion and progressive rock peaked in popularity, bands within the two styles seemed to seek a merger, with instrumental rock artists reaching for more jazz in their music, while the fusion crowd borrowed from rock’s heavier side. This sort of fusion of fusions continues with many artists till today, with a good example being Dean Watson and his recent album, “Fantasizer’. If you can imagine a jazzier Camel mixed with Alan Holdsworth, and early Bill Bruford all played with a modern precision and sound, then you might have something similar to Watson’s latest creation. Apparently Dean played every instrument on here and he is quite capable on both guitar and keyboards. I will guess that he programmed the drums, but they sound very real and human, and possibly some of that was played live as well.

All of these songs are well composed and feature complex arrangements that twist and turn through multiple styles and change-ups. Aside from all the business, there are some moments of pure fun on “Freak” where Watson becomes a one-man Deep Purple with an aggressive guitar solo over a fast Ian Paice beat pushed by a rhythm Hammond B3. Overall, “Fantasizer” is a great album for fans of instrumental progressive rock, or the rockier side of fusion. Watson is a very good guitar player with a very precise and clean technique, his keyboard chops aren’t bad either.

progshine This Dean Watson album, Imposing Elements (2012) is a weird one to me. The album itself is an instrumental effort, and usually, instrumental music doesn't have any appeal to me. But here on this album we have some strong compositions.

Anyway, even if it's a strong album it doesn't go beyond the realms of the averageness. It doesn't really go anywhere. I like the Jazz Rock feel you have on the album, but for my personal taste the album doesn't go that far away to be called a masterpiece as many here are claiming.

Imposing Elements (2012) is a good album with Jazz Rock feeling and it's nice to hear it, but after some time, nothing really stands out here.

AtomicCrimsonRush Dean Watson's 'Imposing Elements' is a jazz prog odyssey of scintillating music.

Dean's followup to "Unsettled" is another jazz feast with touches of metal and symphonic prog that is rather relaxing and a great album to put on after a hard day at work. It is soothing and features accomplished musicianship enough to satiate the appetite of any music lover who is into keyboard driven heavy prog with jazz nuances.

The keyboard wizardry on such tracks as '16 Feet Below' is tremendous, with strong bass embellishments and interchanging time sigs. The music is definitely uplifting and features dynamic arrangements, the drumming being a key feature. This track is my favourite on the album, I love the jazz threads merging with prog elements and superb keyboard work throughout.

'Past Present' opens preceedings with minimalist keyboard and spacey atmospheres. The dissonant tones create an ethereal soundscape like Pink Floyd. Keyboards dominate but the layer of rhythmic percussion and bass is a nice foundation to build upon. There are ambient key pads beneath and the tempo changes soon in to a faster cadence and a variation of tones as a synth and lead guitar trade off solos.

Another highlight is found on 'Underpass' with cymbals, vibraphone and piano dominating until a lead guitar takes over. Then a distorted riffing guitar breaks through the light weight music. The jazz fusion sound is terrific with odd time shifts and space for each instrument to breathe, all played virtuoso by Dean Watson.

'Push Too' has some quirky vibes and a funky bassline as a synth swells along a disjointed melody. I like the way the dirtier guitar riff drowns out the synths, and then a vibrant lead solo soars over it all in the style of Andy Latimer.

'Pendulum' has a symphonic edge with music that drifts along as though swinging back and forth, hence the title. The lead guitar sings sweetly as the music builds along a graceful keyboard motif. Swathes of mellotron and jazz piano permeate the atmosphere and it seems to be ascending higher until it breaks into a passage of piano fortissimo. A beautiful piece of music to wrap your ears around.

After all the melancholy tranquillity, 'Depth Charge' submerges into a jazzy ominous piano motif. The darker sounds are portentous that something will explode. It does as the paroxysm of metal guitar lead thunder and synth lightning takes over. The lead work is fiery and follows a complex bass and synth. The drums are sporadic at this point and full of emotive power, with hi hat work and cymbal splashes like waves crashing up on the boat. The imagery is conjured by the arrangements carefully amalgamated with the tension and release of light and dark shades, slow and fast tempos.

'Of Age' has a metal distortion riff and is blended well with colourful mellotron ambience. It locks into some odd time sigs, and progressive building blocks of synth lines and guitar phrases. The guitar riff is simple but effective. The next section is a layered keyboard break and it settles into a rhythmic section as a lead guitar howls over. The acoustic flourishes are effective and the chimes as the sig changes again into a faster more urgent pattern. Guitar blazes away with finesse sounding again like Latimer. One more time change and a return to the main riff bookends this sensational track in a blaze of glory.

The album ends on the longest track, 'New Resolution', beginning with impactive jazz piano reminding me of Miles Davis 'Freddie Freeloader' from 'A Kind of Blue'. As with that track, this feels like walking down a rain soaked street at night with the neon lights dancing off the soaked roads. It is up tempo and entrancing with powerful keyboards including a delightful shimmering Hammond sound. The strong jazz tones are augmented with off eat patterns and lead guitar phrases.

Thus the journey ends on a high note and this album is as good if not better than Watson's debut. The music is always compelling and moves in many directions enough to maintain interest. Watson plays well on all instruments and is a fine arranger. The album is well produced, with high quality sound and is certainly an instrumental album well worth seeking out.

AtomicCrimsonRush Dean Watson's debut splashes paint strokes of light and dark textures on the canvas to create a glittering triumph. Dean Watson, who made an impact with Where's The Nine, decides to do it solo on this album aptly titled "Unsettled", inspired by a painting. Indeed the music never settles into one genre, merging from jazz fusion to strands of metal, and some eclectic work thrown in for good measure. The keyboards dominate at times and then distorted guitars crash in to add a darker texture to the canvas.

The Encounter begins things with an odd time signature of kaleidoscopic keys and guitars, a fast paced King Crimsonish passage that moves into cruise mode with a motif that locks in to allow the electric guitar to make its presence felt. It is brilliant guitar work that will appeal to the Joe Satriani fan or likewise. The first track is reminiscent of Keith Emerson with some heavy duty blasts of Hammond that shimmer and crunch to an off kilter rhythm, rarely settling into one time signature.

The Push has an out of sync rhythm with spiderlings of synth and multi layered organ. There is a subtle guitar riff and a few outbursts of off beat pounding drums and electric mayhem. The chaotic feel is counter balanced with moments of melodic order; an enjoyable romp through many different styles.

Out Of The Mist is an 8 and a half minute progfest of very dark guitar chords and sustained keyboard pads. It begins with acoustic diminished picking that feels at times as though you are in a cathedral, with violin synth pads, and there is a dark ambience. The distorted lengthy guitar chords slice in after 4 minutes and add to the atmosphere which is doomy and Gothic. It could well be the soundtrack to a slasher film. The grim feel of impending terror is accomplished by striking guitar distortion and this is mixed with moments of transfixing beauty. The pace quickens with the same melody but it locks into traditional chugging metal territory till it fades out . Another highlight of the album.

Sequence Of Events is an intriguing piece with a synthetic mixed sequencer and metal distorted galloping guitars. This is a curious hybrid that seems to work well enough reminding me of the 80s Rush years at times. The keyboards are off the scale here with Jordan Rudess-style keyboard rips that burn at a blistering pace. At 2:20 the pace slows and an electric piano solo eases steadily along; a jazz fusion passage with hi hat cymbal splashes.

DIP has a cool funky beat and a melodic guitar, with quick staccato stabs of Hammond. There is a passage of piano with pads which sound very effective, then the guitars begin to play powerful melodies that lift the spirit high. There is a polyrhythmic feel accomplished with sporadic drums and bass.

The Departure begins with a wind effect and quiet gentle piano, and the low bassy synth chords provide a framework for soaring guitar licks. The grinding Hammond is effective to transition the music to a half time feel with two chord bursts that repeat while improvised glockenspiel sounds fill the void.

Gray Matter is an amazing tour de force of guitars trading off with keyboards. Some of the most accomplished guitar work is on this track and it features a lengthy middle section where keys blaze away duelling with electric soaring guitars. Downward sweeps and speed picking at a healthy tempo veer the track onward to its dramatic finale; a definitive highlight.

Orb is heavily laden with synthesizers and electric piano. There are still some quirky time shifts throughout and a very pleasant lead riff that is choppy and jazzy. The melody is more upbeat on this with a unique drum pattern. A keyboard solo permeates the track and it progresses to a heavy ambience with an almost spacey feel. There is a load of emotion on this track. At 4:33 the track stops and moves into a jazz feel with pounding drums and low bassy synth over an electric piano motif.

11th Heaven Blues is next with a heavier feel saturating the soundscape with soaring guitars and an off beat tempo with estranged synth chords. The lead guitar rips into a solo with fret melting flourishes and huge string bends. The keyboard solo is a dirty Hammond sound harkening back to the 70s with ELP or The Nice. The metal nuances are there to remind us that this is still a refreshing approach to music blending a myriad of genres. I believe this track must rate as a highlight and is very progressive in its style.

Still (unsettled) is the very last track and a short burst of acoustic kicks it off but without a discernible time sig. The piano is a beautiful touch creating an atmosphere of stark isolation. The ethereal feel is created with minimalism and intermittent playing.

The conclusion is this is another great project from Dean Watson, a pleasant delight from start to finish with virtuoso musicianship. The music becomes an absorbing experience with compelling sections that mesmirise on each listen and you are able to take something different each time from it depending on your mood. The music takes you on a jazzy trip from light to dark locations and it can be used for all occasions, primarily for headphone intensity, or it can be enjoyed as you read or study. Solo instrumental albums can suffer from fatigue and lack of originality coming from the one source, but in the case of "Unsettled" this is not the case. On the contrary, this is some of the best instrumental music your ears are likely to be caressed with; an eargasm of ice cold jazz fusion served up with a blast of progressive fire.

BlueNote To start off with the bad things, I have to say I don't really like fusion. For me, its aesthetics make it look as though it can't decide whether it will fall into jazz, or prog (Porcupine Tree-esque prog to be precise in this case) category. If I could advise something to this artist, what to do to better fit my taste - Please, do something more clear in genre, either prog or jazz (which I would like the most).

But now time has come for the good things - if you are not familiar with this artist, I have to make sure you know at least one thing about him - he plays every instrument on this record himself. Yes, that's right, pretty impressive, isn't it? Sheer musicianship glows from every lick and phrase played and one can only admire artist like this.

Whole album is very pleasant to listen. Every track has it's own kind of sound and you don't feel like listening to the same things for whole album. You feel like going on a musical trip. Which is great - I like my music to be unpredictable in some way. But this also means, I cannot choose my favourite track (although I love the guitar on Push Too). My favourite track would be the album as a whole.

To summarize: I like Dean's style, I like his approach to composition and I'm really dazzled by his skills and what he achieved in this great record, but to be really blown away, I need something either more jazzy, or proggy.

You remind me of peaople like Steven Wilson and I'm really looking forward to your next work and I'd love to hear it even if you don't follow my recommendations.