Post by jptheprofessor on Apr 22, 2007 23:23:14 GMT -5
MY TURNING POINT – SECLUSION SERVES ME WELL (no label) Jim Bagrosky is best known on local stages as a drummer, having provided the beat behind past regional rock powerhouses as Blue Skye Mourning, Stept On and Wake Up Screaming. But Jim had a musical vision he wished to bring to life, and stepped from behind the drum kit to begin collaborating with drummer John Placer to bring those ideas to fruition. They soon recruited lead guitarist Dalton McDonald, and eventually Jim’s former Stept On and Wake Up Screaming bandmate Adam Zimmer on bass; and My Turning Point was born. On the group’s eight-song debut CD, Seclusion Serves Me Well, My Turning Point introduces listeners to a dark, melodic, and hard-rocking sound; setting the backdrop for sullen lyrics exploring festering emotions of anger, guilt, longing, angst and self-doubt. The songs include outright rockers such as the erupting opener “Shine Through You,” the proud and defiant “Found My Way,” the more agitated “Stop” and the song of reckoning “Under My Skin.” But perhaps the album’s most powerful moments happen on the three slower-building tracks. “In Your Head” uses shifts in tempo and intensity to emphasize the lyrical theme of inner rage and anger boiling over the surface. “Broken Man” undertakes a slower-brooding journey with a flavor reminiscent of Metallica’s “Unforgiven;” while “Everlasting” is a dark-textured song of devotion and learning from life’s lessons. The song ideas here are strong, and the melodies are clever and well-executed. Recorded at Bill Filer’s Audible Images Recording Studio in Port Matilda and produced by Filer and the band, the album sounds brash and powerful when it needs to, yet somber and delicate in its quieter moments, with Dalton McDonald’s varying guitar textures and additional keyboard fills fleshing out and coloring the album’s moods. Jim Bagrosky is still getting his feet underneath him as a singer, and thus, a few moments here come off as awkward, particularly on his transitions between subdued and intense. But the strength of the song material, and the overall execution and production quality bringing it to life, makes Seclusion Serves Me Well a satisfactory debut that defines My Turning Point’s musical turf, and sets a foundation for Jim and the group to further explore their musical vision from. (The album can be obtained at shows or through the group’s website, www.myturningpointrocks.com.)