Geoff Tate
Geoff Tate (Sanctuary) 2002
1. "Flood" (5:24)
2. "Forever" (4:14)
3. "Helpless" (4:50)
4. "Touch" (4:07)
5. "Every Move We Make" (4:24)
6. "This Moment" (4:50)
7. "In Other Words" (4:52)
8. "A Passenger" (4:49)
9. "Off the TV" (4:00)
10. "Grain of Faith" (3:35)
11. "Over Me" (4:41)
Geoff Tate is best known as the lead singer of progressive rockers Queensrÿche. Back when their first EP came out I thought he was the greatest singer I had ever heard, and indeed he has proven himself to be a great singer as well as a rock legend. However, Geoff has commented over the years that he has grown away from heavy metal and hard rock. His 2002 solo album is certainly a confirmation of this as this release is M E L L O W. However, it's certainly not bad either. Despite being mellow, it is textured with sweeping acoustic passages, some Spanish guitar work, some pop leanings and even some straight ahead rock n roll. Some of the material here has an almost Pink Floyd like quality at times. Tate's vocals, of course, are the centerpeice here. As would be expected, he does a fine job, but doesn't really pull off anything that is quite as high or operatic as he did in the early Queensrÿche days. Despite liking this disc, it is relegated to "mood music" due to it's melancholy nature. However, if I am in just the right mood, this disc makes for a relaxing listen.