RACHEL FLOWERS

Bigger On The Inside RACHEL FLOWERS MUSIC

Is this the brightest new star in the prog firmament? Quite possibly.

On her first two solo albums, 2016’s Listen and Going Somewhere in 2018, Rachel Flowers distinguished herself as an artist able to traverse genres and styles apparently at will – an approach that saw her performing with everyone from Rick Wakeman to Burt Bacharach. While the 27-year-old California native has long expressed her admiration for Keith Emerson, it’s with her third solo release, Bigger On The Inside, that her love for progressive rock really surges to the fore with dazzling effect.

‘Multi-instrumentalist’ seems too small a phrase here.

It’s not just that Flowers – who has been blind since shortly after birth – plays everything herself, but that she excels at whatever she turns her hands to. The album opens with a banger. Flowers was inspired to write A B after hearing Adrian Belew playing on the Cruise To The Edge, and the instrumental track shows her in full prog fusion flow, while her solos on both keys and guitar are energetic and melodically rich. Her languid guitar lines in the groovy fusion of Feel even recall Jeff Beck, Greg Howe or Steve Vai.

Take Me Away and The Darkness draw on classical music and symphonic rock. The former is a track with big ambitions, but Flowers pulls it off with a superb arrangement and a great organ solo that lets her channel some Emerson vibes. Lyrically, the album addresses facing challenges, from coping with the impact of the pandemic to standing up for yourself. It’s an optimistic listen, with her reassuring the listener that there are brighter days to come, a message that feels timely and much needed. The heartfelt ballad Beautiful Dream is a fine example as she sings of the promise of a new dawn.

Too Much puts the spotlight on Flowers’ voice as she reaches into her upper register for some powerful vocalising as the song builds towards its denouement. Love Today is a sunny slice of progressive pop, elevated by the layered vocal harmonies and nimble guitar work. This Is The Way I Am feels like the most personal song on the album, with Flowers declaring: ‘I’m not stupid, I’m just extremely shy… I have joy and you can’t make me lose it.’ That might sound heavy or angsty, but it’s delivered with a buoyant piano melody and more of Flowers’ wonderful organ soloing. With You wraps up the album on a high, with a catchy hook to the chorus and its uplifting lyrics.

Flowers hits her every target, from the lush arrangements to her dazzling vocal range and prodigious musical chops.

Bigger On The Inside deserves to be the album that establishes her as one of the most exciting young artists in the progressive scene.

ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING YOUNG ARTISTS IN THE PROG SCENE.