Soliloquy by Simeon Flick

The opening, title track contains lyrics that sound like a pre-battle blessing given by Merlin to King Arthur, set to music that sounds like an arpeggio contest between Andy Summers and Eddie Van Halen.

A "Sting-esque", octave-jumping vocal on "Trey Downs" takes an extremely catchy acoustic rocker into fresh, exciting territory.

"Book in the Wind" features brutally blunt, stingingly insightful, yet somehow sweet lyrics (about a lingering, battered and potentially doomed romance) and sets them against a beautifully restrained acoustic track and subtle vocal (which becomes not so subtle when the octaves jump UP in places you wouldn't expect).

Buckle up for "Voyeur" and prepare to have your mind bent. This one reminded me of what would happen if Simon and Garfunkel sat down to write "For Emily Wherever I May Find Her, Part Two" and decided to co-write it with Elvis Costello. The mysterious, provocative lyrics and music perfectly prick the imagination and transport the listener into the world of the story. The beautiful, finger-picked guitar part is laden with the occasional kinky chord to make it all a mixed bag of romance, neurotic behavior, whimsy and something darker underneath it all.

"I Went Away" is a slow, self-reflective groove that leaves the question of self discovery open ended rather than tie it up in a neat package and bow. This track takes a more realistic approach to soul searching/being true to oneself and the music captures the emotional arc of the lyrics spot on. Listen to how the bass notes, at certain points in "I Went Away", eerily move through the chord changes to increase the tension...way cool.

"No Ordinary Days" is seriously like no other love song I have ever heard...maybe the closest thing is "Old Brown Shoe" by the Beatles. What could be more romantic than a song that promises "on our calendar there's no ordinary days" and proclaims "oh how good it could be, you and me in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G" and says it all in the musical context of a completely wacky, sometimes dissonant 5/4 groove that could possibly cause serious bodily injury (if someone tried to dance to it or sing it without proper protective gear). The slide guitar/scat solo on this track is worth the entire price of the CD. This song is a muddathaf&*ka of biblical proportions...mind-blowing.

Nothing is phoned in on "Soliloquy" and every track holds surprises for anyone smart enough to take the time to step into Simeon Flick's musical world...go ahead, step through the looking glass.

-Craig Yerkes, San Diego Troubadour, June 2005

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