The surreal combination of Bonilla's guitar and Emerson's keyboards.by Kevin_Jack_Whatever

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September 19, 2009: Keith Emerson, as you probably know, is unique in his dual status as both a rock legend and one of the most influential composers of our time. In "Keith Emerson Band," Emerson reveals new levels of versatility as he not only shares the lead, but frequently relinquishes it to his capable to band. In that sense, Emerson's contributions take on a new power that was missing from the latter days of ELP .

1. THE CD:

It may be a bit redundant reviewing musical tracks that are freely available for previewing on-line; however, there are aspects that may not be revealed in the sample mp3s. First is the painstakingly polished production values. This is the most meticulously produced piece of work that I can think of to date - a nearly flawless representation of an engaging collection of musical ideas. The only thing that might be changed is that there are times when the vocals seem slightly over-treated with unnecessarily thick reverb. I wouldn't call this a flaw so much as an artistic decision. Bonilla's voice does not need this much help.

Musically, I am reminded of everything from Tears for Fears to Adagio. There are moments, many of them, where Emerson returns to the hard driving passion and unbridled rage from his earlier work with ELP and the Nice. At other times, we hear the more mature but no-less emotionally intense sensibilities of the seasoned composer.

2. THE "BONUS" DVD:

First off, when you pay $60 for a CD, the DVD is not a bonus, it is the primary product, so let's not call it a bonus. Second, if you get the Japanese Import version it will not work on a standard U.S. DVD Player (the only clue will be that where it says "label" it will say "Japan."). You might get it to work on a PC if you have the ability to set your CD ROM's "region" setting to "0" (all areas), or "2" (Japan).

This is a shame, and I hope that a U.S. version is released because the footage is really kind of precious. The DVD opens with a video of Emerson walking into an empty church, playing a haunting song on the piano, and then leaving. The first movie is a documentary where Keith, Marc, etc., discuss the CD project. There is some amusing footage of Keith "just being Keith" with a flaming piano in the Anza-Borego dessert. There is also much in the way of good studio performance footage. The second movie is concert footage of Emerson and Bonilla (the same lineup from Moogfest) playing classic ELP songs (Karn Evil 9 1.2, Bi***'s Crystal, Livin Sin . . .), but with the surreal combination of Bonilla's guitar and Emerson's keyboards (also, I personally find Bonilla's voice to be immanently more pleasing than any of his predessosrs'). That footage alone was worth the price of the DVD - if only it was compatible with U.S. DVD players!

I Also Recommend: Moogfest 2006: Live, Patrick Moraz: Live in Princeton, Yes: Symphonic - Live in Amsterdam.