Forty Piece Choir - Salud
The Facts
Artist	Forty Piece Choir
Album	Salud
Musicians	Dana - Vocals, Guitars Chase - Drums Dan - Guitars, Vocals Kelly - Keyboards Edgars - Flute, Harmonica, Keyboards Zoe Ocean - Vocals
Produced By	PLANE
Mastered By	Jason at Monster Disk
Track Listing	1). Snail On A Star 2). The Amish Have Found God 3). Cowboy Song 4). EVAN 5). Onion 6). Paint You A Picture 7). There's A Place 8). Live Now Or Die
Record Label	Cooked County Records
Available At	Forty Piece Choir
Reviewed By	Eric J. Olsen
The Opinion
Forty Piece Choir's "Salud" is the sort of album that you put on and then just relax. Each song has a hauntingly beautiful quality that makes the world drift away. While at the same time, there's enough of a rock edge to them that the listener's attention never wanes. Since this album was released, Forty Piece Choir has continued to evolve, as well as having some line-up changes. Tim has replaced Chase on the drums, they've lost the vocals of Zoe Ocean, but added Ed on keyboards, vocals, and the banjo, as well as added vocal, bells, and tambourine to Kelly's duties. The vocal harmonies on "Salud" are excellent, but that's one of the big areas of change in the band. Forty Piece Choir does a tremendous job of combining the disparate influences of the individual members into cohesive songs that stand on their own, away from genre lines. The songs touch on a lot of different genres (from rock to pop to country-esque to psychedelia), all the while retaining a feel that is all Forty Piece Choir. They lean towards the abstruse when it comes to lyrics. At times the lyrics are lost in a tangled harmonious mumble. Oddly enough that doesn't detract from the album in the least and in fact seems to add to the mood inherent on the tracks. The lyrics are more about poetic imagery and allowing the listener to decide what they mean, rather than trying to beat the listener over the head with a message. The sound of the album is phenomenal. They delicately balance the various instruments and vocal harmonies to maintain that moody, otherworldly feel on the songs. Everything comes together beautifully without anything being overpowering. When you add it all up, "Salud" is an album that never strays too far from the CD player.
Nutshell Review
An ethereal album that pleases the ear and soothes the soul.
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