Nick Fletcher – The Mask of Sanity | Progressive Rock Central.com

Nick Fletcher is back! Less than a year from the release of his last album, A Longing for Home, which was released on October 14^th of last year. This prolific artist returns with another powerful solo album, The Mask of Sanity. The album will be released independently, with the public relations support of Bad Dog Promotions, on October 6^th, of this year.

Described by Steve Hackett as “the best jazz/rock guitarist in the UK,” Fletcher’s previous albums — Cycles of Behaviour, The Cloud of Unknowing, Quadrivium, and A Longing for Home, have been hailed with superlatives such as “magnificent, brilliant, stunning, virtuosic, artistic brilliance, genius, spectacular, a triumph, masterpiece, a total work of art, sublime, and astonishing.”

With The Mask of Sanity, Fletcher expands his sonic universe through a fresh lineup of musicians, blending familiar collaborators with exciting new talent. The album’s production, helmed by Fletcher alongside Caroline Bonnett of SCN Media, delivers a meticulously crafted listening experience, both sonically rich and musically adventurous.

Joining Nick Fletcher on this journey are:

Jonathan Ihlenfeld Cuniado (Germany), virtuoso bassist from the Anika Nilles Band; Roberto Porta (Italy), a world-class drummer who has performed with guitar legends Paul Gilbert and Corrado Rustici, described by Fletcher as “one of the greatest drummers in the world today, a musician who possesses virtuosic genius on another level”; Clare Lindley (UK), acclaimed violinist from the UK-based band, Big, Big, Train, and Stackridge, adding hauntingly beautiful textures to three tracks; Olga ‘Dikajee’ Karpova (Russia), returning vocalist from A Longing for Home, lending soaring vocals to several tracks; and Caroline Bonnett, contributing keyboards for the first time.

Nick Fletcher himself expands his palette further with guitar synth, adding depth and dimension to the album’s soundscapes.

The Mask of Sanity is a conceptual suite of seven tracks inspired by the writings of Swiss psychologist Carl Jung.

“As Above, So Below,” opens with melancholia orchestration and sadness from the violin strings of Clare Lindley. A sad, and foggy opening, which suddenly stops; as Roberto Porta, Nick’s hand-picked drummer, stirs the soundscape with a Stewart Copeland-like drum salute, that immediately took me back to Sting’s “All This Time,” from The Soul Cages. Now that was a lot of fun. What a switch. Nick joins the fray with his electric guitar, after a nice intro from bassist, Jonathan Ihlenfeld Cuniado. This new cosmic ensemble rocks the soundscape well. Clare Lindley’s violin is a wonderful new addition to Nick Fletcher’s jazz sound. A jazzy collection of sounds which absolutely rocks.

“Simulacrum,” is: “an image or representation of someone or something.” And yes, that is a perfect title for the song. This song sounds a little like the famous Stan Getz recording, featuring the vocal debut of Astrud Gilberto; of the jazz classic, “The Girl from Ipanema.” (And by the way, that was a rendition of the original song, written by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Portuguese lyrics by Vinícius de Moraes, in 1962). However, on Nick Fletcher’s album, Olga ‘Dikajee’ Karpova, sings the vocal incantations. “Simulacrum,” is as light and airy as “The Girl from Ipanema.” Nick’s guitar, the keyboards, and Jonathan Ihlenfeld Cuniado’s bass and Roberto Porta’s drums help chart a delightful destination, for a song that you would absolutely want to take with you to the beach.

“Shadow Walker,” is more of a traditional Nick Fletcher song. Full of excellent soloing at the opening, then, light, airy jazz guitar throughout. Here and there, he sprinkles in some guitar riffs which take me back to Dire Straits’ famous guitarist, Mark Knopfler.

“The Shadow Magician Parts 1-5,” is one of Nick Fletcher’s longer suites of music, at over 10 minutes. It opens with some rugged rock and roll electric guitar, sounding a little like a mix between Steve Hackett and Jimmy Page’s solo music, i.e. Outrider. Then, he slows it down to bare knuckle electric guitar riffs echoing into the soundscape, with echoing keyboards and Olga ‘Dikajee’ Karpova’s vocal incantations. This is followed by some Middle Eastern sounding Jimmy Page, i.e. “Kashmir,” which then turns back to Steve Hackett like echoing guitar. Nick slices the soundscape with blistering electric guitar. This must have been the work that knocked him off the touring schedule for a while this year. Practicing and rehearsing this one could take the power out of any guitarist’s hands. Another of the best songs I think I have heard from Nick Fletcher. At times, reaching levels of Steve Hackett’s blistering GTR/Highly Strung helmsman “Hackett to Pieces or Bits,” only with a dreamy, or jazzy sounds interspersed between, calling to mind some of David Gilmour’s solo work.

“A Curious Case of Synchronicity,” opens slowly with acoustic guitar and dreamy guitar synth orchestration, like what you might have heard on Steve Hackett’s early music catalog. Then, violin is added, and the sound turns jazzy, with precision drum bursts. Nick Fletcher’s music always take you on a journey. He usually doesn’t include the lyrics, only gives you a title to help interpret. Clare Lindley is a wonderful addition to this band, and I have a good feeling she will be back for more of Nick’s albums in the future.

“The Mask of Sanity,” is the title track. It opens with soft drums and Nick’s lead synth guitar. Another jazzy, oasis of sound, rippling across the soundscape, giving listeners another discovery to enrich their vocabulary and knowledge centers. Jonathan Ihlenfeld Cuniado’s bass playing might even take you back to the sounds of Dave Brubeck’s Quartet.

“Song of Innocence,” is another of Nick Fletcher’s jazzy guitar solos which will leave you with a “peaceful easy feeling,” as you exit the Mask of Sanity. Nick then leaves you with birdsong and the sounds of the city, in the distance.

Nick Fletcher has assembled a new band to take his music to new heights and deliver new sounds and textures of jazz and progressive rock. On Mask of Sanity, Nick Fletcher asks you the age-old question Carl Jung tried to uncover in his readings and writings. However, it was not Carl Jung who coined the phrase “mask of sanity.” “The term was famously used by Hervey M. Cleckley in his 1941 book, The Mask of Sanity, to describe the superficial charm and seemingly normal exterior that psychopaths use to conceal their inner mental and emotional deficits.” Well, we citizens of the USA, happen to have one of these people currently running the country as President. But I’m not sure Nick was going in that direction, either. Without lyrics it is hard to determine which direction Nick Fletcher was going with the title. However, the direction of Nick Fletcher’s music is much easier to determine. You can hear and feel the confidence and thoughtful feeling of collaboration going on between these band members. A cohesive unit this band is. One, that we hope Nick will return with, to deliver his next album, a year from now.