Ruphus - Inner Voice. 1977 Norway

I once owned this album in the late 1980s and early 90s but eventually sold it. Now I understand why. Bought the LP again on a whim anyway and... time to say bye-bye to Inner Voice! By this time in the band's career, they had moved completely into jazz rock waters. There's nothing left of their progressive rock legacy as even found on their previous album, which this does share some similarity with. All the same, there's some blistering guitar work here, along with some nice Fender Rhodes. What's holding me back from appreciating it more is, quite frankly, the raspy female vocalist. You will be hard pressed to find a more tolerant fan of female vocals, in a rock or jazz setting, than I. But this gal really pushes the limits of her range. And she's pretty dominant on the recording, so there's no hiding from it or rationalizing it away (like with say, Epidaurus). I mean she ruins every track on the album. It's a decent album, especially when one considers the instrumental work by this veteran band. And it sports an even better cover. Too bad, that. The band - and she in particular - improved on the followup Flying Colours. So I recommend skipping this one, and going for that instead.

LP: 1977 Brain (Germany)