Best Yet of 2009
by The Great Googly-Moogly
I just finished my first listen, and... Wow. Not only is Focal Point a fantastic debut for guitarist par excellence Paul Cusick, it stands up to some of the greatest modern Progressive Rock out there: Porcupine Tree, Dream Theater, Muse, you name it. At times, it can sound a little derivative, and perhaps there isn't a whole lot of new ground broken here, but the lack of innovation is more than made up for by stellar musicianship and superb songcrafting.
Mr. Cusick is obviously not afraid to pay homage to some of the greats. "Fade Away" and "Hello" bring to mind the Roger Waters-driven era of Pink Floyd, especially "Nobody Home" from The Wall. Hints of Porcupine Tree can be heard throughout the album, but are most noticeable on "Everblue" and "Big Cars." "Senza Tempo" could fit right in on a David Gilmour solo album. The opening/title track even contains an extract from the old piano exercise "Chopsticks."
While all the tracks bear the mark of Cusick, the driving "Soul Words" and lilting "Touch" stand as the most original pieces, and are probably my favorites from this album. I can't wait to see (or rather hear) where Paul goes from here!
Highly recommended. This is the one to beat for 2009. (The Incident, while impressive, did not live up to my expectations. This remains my pick for Album of the Year 2009.)
Awesome!!
by eted
I bought this album from Paul's site and must say it is awesome!! I will definitely be on the lookout for new music from him in the future and waiting for him to play in Philadelphia....
Good work, no Great work!
If you like NIN, Tool and anything Pink Floyd (even Gilmour's solo works) you will enjoy this album and will consider it a good buy.
