| Dave Kerzner, Static | |
| Genre: | Prog Rock |
| Musicianship: | 4.0 |
| Songwriting: | 4.0 |
| Production & Engineering: | 3.5 |
| Vibe: | 3.5 |
| Overall Rating: |  3.75 |
Prog keyboard player/singer/songwriter Dave Kerzner has been building a worthy reputation for himself thanks to his fantastic collaboration with Simon Collins in the band, Sound of Contact, and on the success of his debut solo album, New World.
On his latest release, Static, Kerzner surrounds his core band with notable guest performers from bands ranging from Genesis to Pink Floyd to Porcupine Tree and Big Big Train. The guest list is certainly fitting given his brand of melodic prog rock. When we reviewed his debut album, New World, we felt that Kerzner was the second coming of David Gilmour, both vocally and in the style of his songwriting. Songs like “The Truth Behind,” “State of Innocence,” and the title track stick to that majestic and melodic formula, but Kerzner branches out considerably from there on Static, which he describes as a progressive rock opera dealing with the clutter and chaos of everyday life.
It’s clear that Kernzer has been listening to a lot of Steven Wilson’s solo material—or he’s been embracing the same classic ‘70s prog influences, since many tracks—like “Hypocrites” and “The Millennium Man”—have more of a raw, classic rock, vintage prog, inspired vibe (the latter having a cool funk vibe with a smooth, Kevin Gilbert-esque vocal delivery). It’s this vintage vibe that makes the album less cohesive overall compared with New World, and more stylistically diverse, so it’s either a good thing or a bad thing depending on your perspective. Tracks like “Right Back to the Start” and “Trust” bring in some of the Sound of Contact vibe, which is more aligned with what seems to be the “classic” Kerzner style, which has a more melodic prog vibe than some of the more vintage-vibe inspired numbers.
Overall, musicianship is superb, the songwriting deep and though provoking, and there are numerous gems to be found within the 14-song collection. It’s a lengthy listen to be sure, but if you embrace all things prog from classic to modern, you’ll find Static to be yet another treat from this fantastic musician.
—SK
Check out the video for the title track, "Static," here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ketfkGn7s0
