Ed Kowalczyk – The Flood and The Mercy

Releasedate: 09-09-2013; Label: V2 Records
By: Thorsten Hendriks

Ed Kowalczyk made his fame as lead singer and songwriter with the group LIVE from 1988-2009. Since he left the band he released a solo album in 2010 called ‘Alive’ and now, 3 years later, he has released his brilliant new album ‘The Flood and The Mercy’.

The release of the new album coincided with his ‘I Alone Acoustic European Tour’. Many of you will have seen him live recently and he is still as good as when I saw him perform at Bospop in Weert, The Netherlands during the 90s. This guy is so talented on many levels, his vocal skills range from very tranquil to extemely loud like you would find in metal bands. His versatility makes him unique, compared to other contemporary singers.

This very new album is what you would expect of ‘EdK’, very much in the style of Live but with his personal touches and feeling entwined in the lyrics. Extremely well written and the musical compositions are a true accompaniment to Ed’s voice. The CD contains 11 tracks and each one of the are a state of art in their own right.

First track ‘The One’ is what you’d expect; beautiful song and gets you in the right mood for this CD. ‘Seven’ is a bit quieter but this ballad is very well written and excecuted. ‘Angels on a Razor’ is a very interesting title to a very intriging song, the lyrics describe Ed’s own personal feelings and it makes you think about how things affect the listener. ‘Parasite’ is a more upbeat song – that ROCKS! Half way the CD you’ll find ‘All that I wanted’ again a ballad, and the intro reminds me of ‘The X-Files’ music Wink. A song about solitude and never got what you desired. ‘Take me back’ continue the trend of the previous songs; a lot of the artist’s feelings and past experiences are interlaced with the music and lyrics.

‘Holy Water Tears’ is no different, a slow ballad that you would listen to on a rainy day when you’re alone with your other half. The tranquility is abruptly broken by the next track ‘Supernatural Fire’, awesome rocking track that would get the mosh pit going at any gig! Track 9 ‘Bottle of everything’ brings back the peace with an exceptionally well written and composed song that hits your on the heart strings. ‘The Watchman’s Lament’ is a mixture of quiet lyrics and hard guitars where Ed uses his complete range of vocal skills. The last song of this album is called ‘Cornerstone’ – it’s 8.11 minutes. This song actually gave me goosebumps. Piano and Ed singing in an awesome ballad hits you emotionally as the lyrics are very powerful. Midway the track at 3.50 minutes it goes quiet for half a minute and at 4.20 minutes a ‘hidden’ track commences. It is mainly an indian sitar and flute with Ed speaking – a bit of meditation and reflection after Ed’s strong performing skills.

All in all this CD really surprised me in certain ways, but I would urge you to judge for yourself. You will not regret buying this album!

Line up:
Ed Kowalczyk – vocals
Peter Buck (REM) – guitars
Rachel Yamagata – guest vocals

Links:
Ed Kowalczyk Official