1992 - "Wanderings of the Neverending Night"

Even these days, in the middle of 2001, when Chris Fournier has already finished his quite a long musical career under his own name (Fonya is just *English pronunciation* of his, originally French, last name) I still consider "Wanderings of the Neverending Night" the best album ever released by Fonya. I know that Chris's own brother Tone is (at least was at the time) an excellent drummer, but I don't know who actually sat behind the real and unreal drums on the Fonya debut album - Chris himself or Tone. First, it is because I've received this album from Chris on the CD-R without those essential booklet details that help a listener know who is who and which instrument each of them plays on the album. Secondly, the quality of drumming on the debut album is, at least, slightly better than on "Soul Travels", though it's obvious now that the drums sounded better and better on each Fonya new album - up to the peak (or the highest level of the mastery of drumming) on the last two albums. It doesn't even matter (at least to me) that all these just programmed drums sound on Fonya's albums, Chris's finger tapping of keyboards or his work with the real drums, as they always have a great sound during the whole creation of this remarkable Solo Pilot to Progressive spaces. The first and the last Fonya albums look like blood brothers as well as Chris and Tone themselves and since Chris and Tone are not twin brothers "Wanderings of the Neverending Night" and "Sunset Cliffs" don't look that, either. While I haven't seen Tone (i.e. his photograph) and, therefore, can't compare the images of brothers I find the first of the albums-brothers more interesting than the second. It is not only because of Tone singing better than Chris (that too, though). The main point here, in my view, is that Tone sings only on the four tracks of "Wanderings of the Neverending Night" while "Sunset Cliffs" is filled with Chris's songs. In other words, there is a good deal more room for rich instrumentation on the debut album than on the last one which contains just one short instrumental in general. Although all the Fonya albums stylistically represent his firm, original approach to mixing the structures typical for Classic Progressive with various Space Rock 'models' and manifestations (sometimes including even a little of ambient music, though), his debut album is, in my view, especially rich in Classic Art (Symphonic) Rock arrangements. That's why I find the very first Fonya album "Wanderers of the Neverending Night" the best one in his solid and stable (especially concerning Solo Pilots) discography of seven albums in all.

1993 - "Soul Travels"

"Soul Travels" is the first one in a long series of Fonya's all instrumental albums. I find that this album has more of a spacey sound than the rest in Fonya's discography. Actually, Chris uses a lot of synthesizers on this album while his (electric and acoustic) guitars don't shine here too often. "Soul Travels" has, on the whole, such a spacey feel perhaps because Chris pays more attention to keyboards than to guitars this time. However, a lack of the guitar sound on "Soul Travels" has nothing to do with bass guitar. Although we know Fonya as a real ace among the other contemporary 'multi-instrumental' Solo Pilots, originally Mr. Fournier was a bass guitarist. So Chris plays his 'own' instrument in the most intricate, diverse and virtuoso way on each album he has released (at least as Fonya). Bass guitar is and will always be a real ace in Chris Fournier's dexterous hands, as his masterful and intense playing of this instrument surpasses the level of a lot of electric solo guitarists. In this category, Chris is in my view on par with the best bass guitar players - the likes of Geddy Lee, Chris Squire and so on. (Tony Levin or Trey Gunn, perhaps, play the bass guitar a bit better than he does because they, first of all, are stick players.) Finally, back to drums, it may be just an illusion, but it really seems to me that the drums had a more vivid sound on the Fonya debut album. All in all, "Soul Travels" became a pretty good "instrumental" starting point for Chris's further (slow but sure) development in this exact direction. I know that some folks would rather listen only to such Solo Pilots who sing during their flights while others like it when the Commander of a musical Starship with a crew comprised only of himself remains silent doing such a serious work as piloting the Starship to Mars, Jupiter and the other Solar System planets alone. I like both of these types - provided the musical flights they offer to my ears are really interesting.

1994 - "In Flux"

It becomes obvious already after a couple listens to the third Fonya album that "In Flux" is just a little better than its predecessor while the Fonya debut album "Wanderers of the Neverending Night" surpasses both them in many ways. However, a few positive changes have occurred on the third album in comparison with the second. While the programmed drums are as excellent on "Soul Travels" as on "In Flux" they work a more diverse way on the latter. Also, there is approximately an equal amount of keyboard and guitar arrangements on this album and such an 'instrumental' balance stylistically makes "In Flux" more balanced an album in general and both the main structural constituents (Classic Progressive and Space Rock) of the music of Fonya are decently blended here. Although "The Sea", that is based on a part of the great Russian composer Rimsky- Korsakov's "Scheherezade", sounds great, the cover versions (here covers of two classic Genesis compositions Los Endos and Hairless Heart) Chris 'used' in the Fonya albums from time to time are by no means essential things that help artists whose music is quite original in its own right.

1996 - "Earth Shaper"

During the first four years of Fonya's Spacey-Symphonic 'travels' Chris has been able to release a long album every year, but after "Earth Shaper" this annual tradition came to an end. Although starting with "Soul Travels" each new album demonstrated the development of his talents as a Solo Pilot (i.e. to refute the proverb "One body is nobody" quite successfully), the debut album "Wanderings of the Neverending Night", with Chris's brother Tone on vocals, still outweighs any of them. "Earth Shaper", the predecessor to "Perfect Cosmological Principle", which (along with the following "Upper Level Open Space" album of 1999) is the creative peak of Fonya's (intermediate yet very long) purely instrumental activity, is just his next to the last step forward. Similar to previous albums in many ways, "Earth Shaper" has, however, the most spacey structures in its compositional scheme along with those of Symphonic Progressive, as always. Structurally the most balanced album, "Earth Shaper" is Fonya's best instrumental effort in the first half of the 1990s.

1997 - "Perfect Cosmological Principle"

1.  Tetrabiblos (Ptolemy, 200 AD) 9:36

2.  Spiral Structure in Virgo 4:50

3.  Flight of the Rigel Orion 14:02

a.  Approaching Arctana 4:22

b.  Compression 5:51

c.  Spirit of Sunshine 3:41

4.  Mare Nektaris 6:27

5.  Flash Spectrum Scanning Helium Horizon 9:13

6.  Uniform Expansion and

    the Perfect Cosmological Principle 19:43

  a.  One Hundred Million Years 5:31

  b.  Expansion 5:31

  c.  So Many Parsecs, So Little Time 6:07

  d.  We've Been Here Before 2:13

7.  Delerium's Gate 7:36



Chris Fournier - all instruments;

all music, except for track 7 (by Yes)

Excellent solo artist Chris Fournier / Fonya and his fifth studio work. This is pseudo- conceptual all-instrumental album based on Chris's thoughts about time and space, an endless search for where we are, for our place in the universe.

The album. Musically Tetrabiblos reflects all the possible feelings and moods familiar to anyone who read Astrological books seriously and attentively. There are exactly twelve different themes in this composition as if specially dedicated to the twelve signs of Zodiac. Guitar and keyboards arrangements are rich, diverse and original. The work of rhythm- section is simply incredible. Bass guitar is a special solo instrument here. Its powerful, dynamic lines add a unique atmosphere to the overall sound.

Spiral Structure in Virgo. For some reason Chris reached the decision to select this sign of Zodiac among others, and I am proud my view on Virgo is the same special. This composition paints a vivid picture of the true feminine beauty, full of Understanding, Forgiveness, and of course, Love - the most positive energy, the most important thing in the whole universe.

Flight of the Rigel Orion, made up of three parts, is a great musical voyage across time and space in search for Systems that could sustain human life, in search for Discoveries in the endlessness of the Land of the Seven Notes that could produce a new formula of Music. On this track Chris very effectively uses a wild variety of keyboard samples to show that the grandeur of Cosmos is in its exceptional diversity within itself. Powerful synthesizer chords and fluid guitar solos sometimes sound really "unearthly".

Mare Nektaris is, like a sea of peace, overcoming all around with soft, gentle waves incoming from varied keyboards. The quietest and lightest composition on album.

Flash Spectrum Scanning Helium Horizon contains many varied mood and themes. This longest separate composition on "Perfect Cosmological Principle" is also the most sophisticated. Complex arrangements, wonderful guitar solos, exceptionally diverse lines of a ubiquitous bass - these are the main characteristics of scanning musical horizons by Chris Fonya on this track.

Uniform Expansion and the Perfect Cosmological Principle sometimes apparently show that a long hypnotic solo from electric guitar can play the same prominent role as a Solo Spacecraft Pilot plays on board of his starship. This composition also features some beautiful interplays between "soft" acoustic guitar, electric guitar and synthesizer into the accompaniment of very dynamic work of rhythm-section. A real Space Symphony.

Delerium's Gate was originally composed by Yes for their "Relayer" album. Chris's short version of this famous side-long suite is based mostly on keyboards. Not as good an effort as the previous tracks.

Summary. While the basic arrangements on "Perfect Cosmological Principle" are done well, I find the structures of rhythm-section composed (!) by Chris even more interesting. Chris is obviously talented as a bass guitar player, but his work as a "drummer" is really outstanding for solo artist. Thanks to his "diligent" fingers, Chris shows how one can obtain "live" sound using programmed drums! So, the bass / drums interplays on this album are among the best the rhythm-section has to offer in the history of the "Solo" Progressive genre. In spite of the presence on the current progressive rock scene such solo artists as Jeremy, Mike Oldfield, and others who work in the similar stylistics, the music on "Perfect Cosmological Principle" is very fresh, and as perfect as the same ancient (yet eternal) Perfect Cosmological Principle.

1999 - "Upper Level Open Space"

After the first four Fonya albums released on Chris's native label "Kinesis" his joining the oldest and largest (at least) European premier (actually French) prog-label "Musea" looked as quite a major step forward. Especially since "Musea" handed the exclusive rights on distribution of "Upper Level Open Space" all over America (maybe, all over Americas) to the said "Kinesis. And as for Fonya himself, in the face of "Musea" he has for the first time found a direct way to reach the European Prog-audience that may even be larger than the American. Also, it must be said that this Fonya's new album is not only as good quality-wise as the predecessor ("Perfect Cosmological Principle") - drums and percussion sound so vivid on "Upper Level Open Space" as if they were really played live. Structurally and stylistically, both these albums are very similar too, so I could describe Fonya's 'incursion' into the European Prog-market more or less with the same words used in the previous review (especially in the Summary). Actually, beginning with the second album "Soul Travels" (of 1993) and up to this, "Upper Level Open Space", Fonya has kept his music within the same framework of all instrumental blend of Classic Progressive and Space Rock with a slight Ambient trace in addition. I don't know why the next and the last* (see below) album of Chris's project Fonya was released independently by Fournier's own label "Red Shift". Maybe because Chris decided to return to the Prog-'formula' of his debut album - the only Fonya album with vocals since then? All in all, "Sunset Cliff" (of 2000) turned to be the last album that Chris released under the name Fonya. This year (of 2001) Chris Furnier began to work on two new, musically very different, projects. Of course, one of these projects is dedicated to progressive music.

2000 - "Sunset Cliffs"