Riho Sibul is undoubtedly the best guitarist in Estonia. Since showing up on the scene back in the '70s, Sibul has been in the forefront of progressive rock and blues. His work in In Spe and Kaseke established him as the best technician on the guitar in Estonia and the Baltic region, though in the last decade he has pursued one of his loves -- blues -- mostly through the ultra successful band Ultima Thule.

So when his solo CD came out, it was greatly anticipated by blues and prog fans alike. The names of the guest musicians are a "who's who" of prog it seems: Sven Grünberg, Raul Vaigla, Robert Jürjendal, Arvo Urb, Toomas Rull, just to name a few. However, this is a very personal and moody CD, not much in the prog vein and not as much in the blues vein as most had thought. However, it is still quite a good album. There are a few proggy bits, but many contemplative moments too.

The first track, "Ma oleks võind olla/Emajõe delta blues I," is a strange song that features some weird percussion work, crafty acoustic guitar playing, and even a bit of E-bow from Robert Jürjendal (of Fragile fame). But apparent at the beginning is the trademark vocals of Sibul, a raspiness that is uniquely his. The middle instrumental section is quite odd, especially with the E-bow at full weirdness. A strange opening to a strange album really.

The second song, "Roosisuu," is a cool little piece that would have fit the acoustic Ultima Thule CD very well. The distinctive fretless bass of Sibul's bandmate in Ultima Thule and VSP Projekt, Raul Vaigla, adds to the flavour, as well as the bass clarinet of Meelis Vind -- which has a nice solo in the middle of the song. It is a moody ballad, with excellent instrumental work by the guest artists. Vaigla shows why he's in such demand with his melodic bass lines, though some on the rather high end.

Next is "Uno bossa," a really strange instrumental attempt at something akin to bossa nova I think. The short instrumental has some interesting sounds -- again from the E-bow of Jürjendal -- but it's over pretty quickly. That's followed by "Puutüvi ajab...," a moody ballad showing off Sibul's excellent and unique vocals again. But it's finally on track four that Sibul shows off some of his best guitar work, a sharp acoustic solo -- something that's rather rare on this CD, sadly.

Following that is "Vihapidaja," another moody acoustic piece that has a folk feel to -- though very short. Next is "Ringmäng," which has a rather progressive rock feel to. A duet between Sibul and Jürjendal one would expect lightning and thunder, but it's a very atmospheric guitar piece...somewhat akin to Fragile stuff -- it has that feel. However it's not as boring as many of the Frippish material around today all over the world, there are some very creative and slick guitar melodies and passages hidden behind the layers of guitar and guitar-like effects. Really makes the new King Crimson sound bad...

"Talitee" is after that, a very nice ballad with some beautiful keyboard bits by Sven Grünberg (of Mess fame). Again, it's a moody song with an extended instrumental ending section, a quiet pastiche with Mihkel Metsala putting in some good trumpet. Following that is "Hoidke ja armastage," another moody song with some excellent riffs here and there. The short "Repriis" follows, another Sibul-Jürjendal piece. It's quite slow-pace and a lot like the earlier stuff of this collaboration, though there is a fair bit of good acoustic guitar work here.

"Tuleb tüdruk" is next, again in that acoustic moody ballad feel that is evident throughout the CD. It does feature some nice saxophone work by Meelis Unt that gives the song a perspective from the high end. Next is the aptly-titled "Üksteist," though it clocks in at 11.30 ("üksteist" means "eleven"). You can call this "Riho Sibul and Fragile" since that's exactly what it is -- Sibul alongside Jürjendal and percussionist Arvo Urb (of Ruja and In Spe fame too). It sounds rather like a Fragile song, especially something off it's recent release, Õunapuu Osakas. It's repetition is joined by a surprising but welcomed section of drumming creativity from Urb, something not seen much on Fragile releases. It really shows that Urb is a top-class drummer with the ability to work within strange constraints; he's the star on this song. Later in the song the guitar effects gets a little annoying, whether they're trying to imitate Fripp or Hendrix it's unknown... Just listen to the drums!

The CD ends with "Emajõe delta blues II," following the theme from the opening of the CD. Despite the self-reproaching lyrics, the music has a Gabriel-like feel to it, a mix of "world" themes and his unique own style. Cool little bit, with again some nice drumming by Arvo Urb -- why did he wait until the end?

Prog this may not be fully, but it's a good CD in a moody kind of way. It's very deep and contemplative, and needs to be listened to seriously. This shows a lot more of Sibul than his lightning-fast solos, it shows his soul.

Rumours have it some interesting tracks were eventually left off the CD, some that may have a proggy feel to. Hope we hear them one day on another release. The "eleven" track is quite an interesting thing, really giving drummer Arvo Urb a fabulous forum. Good stuff all over.

Mel Huang
Tallinn, Estonia
4 October 2000

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