MOKSHA (Here To Go) LP/CD
The term 'progressive rock' does not always mean that you have to play top-heavy super-complex music. To me, it's also a suitable description for mixing different musical styles into a whole. And things are precisely the same with MOKSHA who are located in Las Vegas, Nevada. 'Here To Go' is their second album and impressively demonstrates that MOKSHA manage with ease to combine different music styles to a well-functioning soulful unit. The requirement for this is that the musicians master their instruments and there is no doubt about this in the case of MOKSHA. On this album, the music frequently shifts from hard/space rock and funk to reggae and soul, without ever sounding incoherent or forced. Still, the music is highly accessible and possesses a timeless quality.
MOKSHA's elaborate and sophisticated musicianship combined with a knack for dynamic and innovative songwriting and a crystal-clear production take the listener on a kaleidoscopic musical ride that is very emotional and uplifting. Swirling sonic textures blend and weave in hypnotizing patterns, and sometimes you must simply stop and be amazed by what these folks are doing. There is also an additional horn section which appears in a couple of songs. Again unnecessary mentioning that these five guest muscians merge harmonically together with the core of MOKSHA. A good example for this is 'Starswarm' that is also one of the heaviest tracks here. Of course, the instrumentation is very rich on the entire album and you can hear piano, organ and keyboards too.
And then there is vocalist Sam Lemos, whose powerfully emotional voice is the icing on the cake while guitarist Jeremy Parks delivers a lot of great solos without overdoing it. 'Bubbles' is equipped with some killer trippy electronic sounds and reveals MOKSHA's space rock edge. This is a great atmospheric work, but in essence it applies to each of the included thirteen songs. 'Fruit Of Tulum' delves into world music, combining latin rock with African music, whereas 'Awaken My Love' is heaviest killer funk. Overall this is an excellent record from an incredible band and it comes highly recommended.
(KK)