When I say that music has the power to predict the future, well, some of it, at least a few of you, may scoff. But that seems precisely what Together, the latest one from Les Fradkin, is all about. That opening statement may be better framed that, twenty years ago, Les wrote Reality – The Rock Opera and predicted the world’s current predicament. And what he saw is laid out for all to hear in this new single. How prophetic.
Right from the start, there is something anthemic about it. It doesn’t necessarily rely on volume and sonic sucker punch to make its point, but Les is undoubtedly an expert at layering up tones and textures, instruments and ideas, one on top of the other to create something genuinely anthemic, wide-screen and writ large.
And if he predicts the dark clouds currently gathering, he also sees the sunshine that will eventually burst through and create a time of unity and togetherness. Hence the name of the record.
[…] Enter Les Fradkin and his opulent opus, “Reality: The Rock Opera.” This opus is nothing short of a cinematic spectacle, a widescreen fusion of metaphysics and rock virtuosity, philosophical musings and eloquent grooves. At first glance, hard rock and metaphysical contemplations might seem worlds apart. Normally, the intellectual depth of one wouldn’t align with the edgy, streetwise attitude of the other, but numerous films, TV shows and books have been made that revolve around just how much those worlds don’t gel. Yet, somehow, Les Fradkin manages to bridge this divide. […]