Detailed Reviews [Kenny Bissett - 2020 - "Broken Wilderness"]

Prolusion. US composer and musician Kenny BISSETT can trace his history as an active musician back to the 1980's, although the demands of life have made it a spare time passion for most of his life from what I understand. A few years back he appeared as the vocalist for progressive rock band Built For The Future, and his tenure in that band appears to have inspired his own creative impulses as well. "Broken Wilderness" is Bissett's first solo album, and was self-released towards the end of 2020.

Analysis. When reading up on the background of Bissett, it became clear that he is inspired by a lot more than merely progressive rock, and that he may well be rather more familiar with other types of music as well. In fact, his first band had more of a synth pop and new wave type of music as their specialty from what I understand, and I do get the impression that Bissett brings in elements from this type of music into his solo album as well. As such I'd describe "Broken Wilderness" as more of a pop-oriented progressive rock production than anything else, as certain idioms of pop music strike me as central throughout. The somewhat more in depth analysis of the pop aspects of this album is that many of the songs here pretty much stay put in the same overall setting. The main sections do not deviate much in terms of pace and rhythms, and while the arrangements may well alter quite a bit, and transitions and breaks do appear here and there, the overall flow and development of the material are much closer to pop/rock than progressive rock in my opinion. The natural emphasis on the vocals for the solo album of a musician best known as a vocalist emphasize this aspect of the music. The fact that Bissett as a vocalist has something of a Morten Harket vibe to his singing at times obviously a factor in how I experience the music as well, and whether by plan or by accident I thought I heard some passages here and there that had a little bit of an a-ha spirit to them as well. The arrangements will provide the majority of the ear candy for fans of progressive rock on this production. Layered keyboard arrangements, often tightly intertwined with one or two guitar motifs, are well set up and explored in pleasant, inviting and at times rather intriguing manners too. With flute, Mellotron and organ invited in to play with keyboards, synthesizers and electronic effects the end result can be rather mesmerizing at times, with associations to both classic era symphonic progressive rock as well as atmospheric laden neo-progressive rock making their way into the compositions. Some vocal details do strike me as being not too far away from 80's era Yes in spirit too, and on one occasion I thought I heard some guitar details that might have been pulled in from something made in the spirit of Robert Fripp. Late 80's Rush is another association I got now and then, in addition to details that might or might not reference bands as different as 90's era Manic Street Preachers and Tears For Fears. With a little bit of a new wave feel to the music at times too. I will also add that the mix and production are most satisfactory throughout, while on the negative side the drum patterns didn't always manage to convince me as the provider of anything much beyond drive and momentum.

Conclusion. For me and my taste in music, Kenny Bissett's initial solo album "Broken Wilderness" comes across as a pleasant, open and inviting affair. Music that is easy to listen to, and that I imagine will have a fairly broad general appeal to boot. It is not an album that managed to intrigue me on a deeper level however, lacking a little bit of that indescribable x-factor that makes an album or songs really stick to the mind. Strong vocals and a good quality mix and production elevates the overall album experience however, and for those that tend to enjoy music that explores relatively easygoing progressive rock within a pop/rock context, or vice versa, this CD is one that should appeal.

Progmessor: February 2021
The Rating Room