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China White: Challenges
China White Challenges
Progressive Rock
Rating: 4.5/5.0
Independent/Self-promotion
www.chinawhite.nl
www.myspace.com/chinawhitenl
Review: Craig Hartranft, 12.14.2009
Coming from the Netherlands, China White has a strong musical history that dates back to the early 1990's. Over their twenty year journey they have released numerous EPs and compilations garnering some respected reviews and a host of fans. Challenges is their latest work, and only the second full-length CD of original material. If you dig progressive rock with the huge flavor of an old school 70's style, this collection is an auspicious and entertaining slab of music.
Don't let the old school appellation throw you off by any means. China White may refer to the past but they hardly wallow in musical reminiscence or create a sappy homage. All the songs and their arrangements are alive and ambitious displaying China White's deft skill and creative composition. Songs like How Many Miles, The Storm Rages On, or Wings on the Wind show some intriguing movements and turns over accessible and melodic complexity. You will not be bored. Musicianship is at a premium as Challenges is distinguished by a precision many younger bands only grasp at. The only difficulty here is the vocal performance from Don Feltges Ordinarily I would guess his style is strong with good projection. But on this recording his vocals are often so severely blunted to be enjoyable. Otherwise, Challenges is a brilliant and constantly surprising work of progressive rock
In Short
China White's Challenges is a profound and surprising work of intriguing progressive rock with a strong, but not nostalgic, flavor of old school prog. Quite recommended.
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