Eclectic musicians trying to cover a wide ground of musical influences, particularly from the second part of the ’60s and on into the ’70s are definitely not a new thing.
The distinction between them lies in whether they are able to gel these influences seamlessly and come up with some truly listenable and enjoyable music. Such a task becomes even harder when it is attempted by a single artist (solo, or assisted by a few other musicians).
One such project was just undertaken by one Mark Bram, and by the sound of his ‘Rabbit Hole’ project, definitely a virtuoso musician, who works under the pseudonym of Ruby Topaz.
Here, Bram who almost plays and sings everything on the album, and is assisted only by the rhythm section and some backing vocals from Steve D’andrea and Stephen Fassbender, covers the incredible musical ground – from The Beatles and early Pink Floyd to Led Zeppelin and even jazz-influenced acrobatics done at those times by the likes of John McLaughlin and his Mahavishnu Orchestra.
And, somehow, through both his songwriting, instrumental and vocal capabilities and obviously vast knowledge of the musical background on which he builds his own, Bram makes it all gel and sound seamless, and, thankfully, above all, really enjoyable.
