The Right Honourable 2018
Out To Sea
Mercurial polymath wears a string of masks to pay homage to his heroes and finally reveal a face of his own.
For all his moonlighting with the likes of Emitt Rhodes, producing Linda Perhacs’ comeback album and issuing an array of solo records, Fernando Perdomo has remained an unknown entity for a long time yet, if Dave Kerzner’s "Static" was anything to go by, this multi-instrumentalist’s primary colors come with prog credentials, and that’s the banner he’s proudly waving here. An aural cruise destined to propel Perdomo’s renown beyond parochial recognition, “Out To Sea” allows Fernando reveal his genre-specific influences without resorting to covers of classic material, and while a bonus take on KING CRIMSON “Starless” may seem a divergence, it’s actually a great example of his molten method that should require no voice to create a tribute to someone whose imprint can be felt all over art-rock domain.
Some of the numbers on this album have explicit dedication attached to them and those that don’t don’t conceal their sources of inspiration anyway, but Perdomo is able to masterfully pick up where original ideas left off, and Fernando’s references feel subtle throughout, so there’s a sort of game on the record – a play of spotting familiar pieces in the musician’s filigree delivery of enchanting tunes whose variety is amazing. Whereas “The Architect” flaunts flashy funk in its finely textured fluid lines, which paint a detailed portrait of Peter Banks, and “The Future According To Roye” intensely restores NEKTAR’s equally quirky escapades, the title track is flowing from funereal march to anxious shanty – or a whaling story – and the vibrant raga in “Roses Spread All Over The World” exude a morning aroma, with the weave of the composer’s guitar and bass nothing short of arresting. Lucid solemnity would also fill the chamber frenzy of “De Boerderij” to offer a fanfare for FOCUS, yet “Sonja” will propose a more balanced look at the CURVED AIR lore, leaving “The Dream” to search for the harmonious forever in fusion waters.
And it’s found in “Dreaming In Stereo Suite” which ties all Perdomo’s influences into something unmistakably his own, with the reflections of Fernando’s ensemble DREAMING IN STEREO etched in piano chords and six-string orchestra, and a Satie quote for coda, and it’s out of this elegant, vigorous grandiosity that the artist’s true personality emerges to establish him as a genuine rock force, one to be reckoned with – like gale blowing you out to sea.
****4/5
