Red Guitar Music

News, reviews and more

  • Home
  • News
  • Album Reviews
  • Live Reviews
  • Features
    • The Baker's Dozen
    • Inside The Song
  • Interviews
  • Tour News
  • Contact
NDV Invisible.jpg

Nick D'Virgilio (NDV) - Invisible (Album Review)

June 25, 2020 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Classic Rock, Progressive Rock, Rock, Singer-Songwriter

In these days of short attention spans and instant gratification, there’s something very refreshing about sitting down with your favourite beverage, placing an album on/in the stereo and letting an artist take you on a musical journey.  Nick D’Virgilio has been on a personal musical journey that began a few years before the release of his debut solo album back in 2001. Nick is probably best known for his time in Spock’s Beard where he started as the drummer and branched out into frontman duties. But this association barely scratches the surface of a varied and interesting CV; there’s an ongoing relationship with Big Big Train – and fifteen years working with Tears For Fears - while still finding time to record and/or perform with many of the best in the business including the late Kevin Gilbert, Mike Keneally (Frank Zappa) and a five-year stint as drummer/singer/assistant bandleader with the Cirque Du Soleil organisation touring their Totem show. For ‘Invisible’ Nick D’Virgilio (NDV) pulls together elements from all of his various musical endeavours and throws in a left turn or two on an obvious labour of love that finds the singer/drummer/multi-instrumentalist at the top of his game.

The first thing I should say about ‘Invisible’ is it’s a very accessible album, when people hear the term progressive rock and concept album their eyes tend to glaze over with thoughts of 70s excess and grandeur. To many progressive rock fans, this is a big attraction, while to other classic rock fans or the casual listener it can be a potential negative. NDV does a fine job of mixing up the epic ‘Turn Your Life Around’ with the more accessible, a clever take on Barrett Strong’s ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’, resulting in an album that walks that particular tightrope with the assurance and skill of Philippe Petit traversing between two towers.

The ‘Invisible’ concept revolves around the people that don’t have jobs and just exist on the peripheries of the world as we know it or have jobs that we take for granted and don’t notice. I’m sure NDV had no idea just how this particular concept would strike a chord in 2020 when the previously invisible, the likes of cleaners, porters and shop workers would become heroes of the pandemic. As a small aside, these folks were hardly invisible to everyone - I’ve spent the majority of my career in retail and leisure management situations - but it’s truly amazing how people are taken for granted, especially those doing more menial work. The pandemic should remind us that we all have a purpose; you don’t have to be a captain of Industry to make an important contribution to the world around you.

Nick D'Virgilio 2.jpg

‘Invisible’ was recorded at Abbey Road in London and at NDV’s home base, the state-of-the-art Sweetwater complex in Fort Wayne, Indiana and needless to say it doesn’t sound like any expense was spared.  NDV also seems to have an enviable contact list that features some of the very best musicians in the business that he can call on. Opening with a sweeping classical piece ‘Prelude’ which features a full-blown orchestra, NDV sets his stall out early before gently easing into the title track, a lush orchestral ballad that’s built around Carl Verheyen’s (Supertramp) predominantly acoustic guitar lines but it’s The Flower Kings’ Jonas Reingold whose lovely, languid fretless bass work that ties everything together. At seven minutes plus ‘Turn Your Life Around’ is epic for all the right reasons. Lyrically and vocally there’s more than a hint of menace and anguish in NDV’s delivery as our protagonist deals with his mundane existence. The nine to five is grinding him down.  The song ebbs and flows building to a crescendo as NDV takes his place behind the kit for the first time on the album. His huge pounding forceful drum sound laying the foundations for Jem Godfrey (Frost) to employ every trick at his command, merging old-school synth sounds with the new to great effect, from pulsating sci-fi bursts and bleeps to sweeping orchestral soundscapes. Randy McStine’s insistent guitar work is also to the fore accentuating the gritty and unsettling tone of the piece. The production here is very well-conceived with NDV and co-producer Mark Hornsby utilizing the soundstage to its full width as odd bits of synth and backing vocal pop up and swirl left and right. Things take a marked left turn as we go all funky for ‘I’m Gone’ for which NDV claims inspiration from the Bee Gees classic ‘Stayin’ Alive’ but all I can hear, to be honest, is that this owes a massive debt to George Michael. The resulting track, whatever the influences, is a terrific slab of funky pop with a strong vocal, a perfectly judged contribution from Nashville session guitarist Tom Hemby and you just have to love those backing vocals.

If ‘I’m Gone’ was a left turn then ‘Money (That’s What I Want) is a further step again. The Barrett Strong classic has been covered by everyone from The Beatles to The Flying Lizards so it’s an odd choice, but at the same time fits beautifully into the concept of ‘Invisible’. NDV tackles ‘Money’ in a brooding way with some nice jazzy bass playing from Jonas Reingold.  Mix some wonderfully soulful backing vocals with unexpected cinematic, orchestral flourishes that bring to mind John Barry, resulting in a terrific take on a very well-known song which is always fraught with danger. ‘Waiting For No One’ is an orchestral piano ballad that features a nice jazzy solo from Carl Verheyen but is, unfortunately, a little too Andrew Lloyd Webber for my taste but things are soon back on track with the hard-Rockin’ ‘Snake Oil Salesman’ which sounds like the sort of tune perfect for Dennis De Young on an old Styx album - which is just fine with me.

By now we’re at the midpoint of ‘Invisible’ and next up is ‘Where’s The Passion’ which might be familiar as it was the first piece of music released to promote the album. Jordan Rudess’ (Dream Theater) piano ushers in the song, joined by Reingold’s bass and NDV’s drums. It’s worth noting that Nick employs an additional drum loop here - not for the first time on the album - and it works well in addition to a traditional kit (as a side note the CD includes a terrific additional booklet for all you drum geeks). ‘Where’s The Passion’ utilises the full power of the Abbey Road orchestra with full strings and brass and features a melody line that will be familiar as it appears throughout the album. Randy McStine again adds his guitar chops to proceedings and pulls off an extended solo to conclude another epic six-minute plus track. An atmospheric ambient intro leads into ‘Mercy’ probably the hardest rockin’ track on the album with NDV joined in the engine room by the legendary Tony Levin. The duo lock-in and hit hard, displaying plenty of power, while still allowing room for Levin to demonstrate his renowned abilities. Jem Godfrey’s synths are again vital to the overall feel of the track and McStine pulls off his most impressive playing yet with an extended solo.

Invisible
Sweetwater Sounds
Buy on Amazon

Mr Big and Racer X guitarist Paul Gilbert appears, seemingly out of nowhere, to introduce us to ‘Overcome’ as the strings swell in the background Gilbert unleashes a flurry of notes that don’t seem to belong in the song, but Paul Gilbert is always good value. ‘Overcome’ is notable for Jacob Dupre’s keys contribution and the Queen-like quality of the backing vocal arrangement. Dupre’s swirling organ brings us to ‘In My Bones’ with multiple saxophones added to the mix and a typically ramshackle guitar solo from Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen. ‘In The Bones’ stylistically has a rockin’ but swinging jazz band sound that doesn’t quite connect with this listener, but that doesn’t make it any less interesting. ‘Wrong Time, Wrong Place’ is notable for musically being all NDV with the addition of another McStine solo. Nick pulls this off with some style especially in the way he layers his vocals to enhance the feelings of confusion and bewilderment. Orchestral brass is a feature of ‘Not My Time To Say Goodbye’ which again features the melodic phrasing that had appeared often during the album. The idea of a repeated melodic line is often used in film scores attached to characters or situations and it works equally well here. The album concludes with the upbeat pop-rock of ‘I Know The Way’ which is perfect in capturing the feeling of positivity we’ve been working toward for the last sixty-five minutes “Life is flowing through my veins and I know the way”.

Nick D’Virgilio has put an awful lot of work into ‘Invisible’ and the result is there for all to hear. The album is a beautifully produced record with a thoughtfully laid out and precise mix allowing the instruments room to breathe coupled with great players and well-written songs. The overall concept hangs together well and has a positivity that can be taken at first glance or looked into a little more deeply. Fans of NDV and the acts he has associated with throughout his career will be impressed, while there’s also plenty for the more casual listener to discover.

Invisible is released on June 26th, 2020 via English Electric.

Featured reviews @RGM
Sons Of Liberty - The Detail Is In The Devil (Album Review)
Feb 24, 2024
Sons Of Liberty - The Detail Is In The Devil (Album Review)
Feb 24, 2024


Sons Of Liberty are a bunch of old-school rockers who, somewhat surprisingly, hail from Bristol in the UK but are steeped in the harder-edged Southern rock rooted in the Southern states of the USA that came to prominence in the late 70s. The quintet made their recording debut in 2018 with a brace of EPs, ‘...Shinola’ followed by ‘Aged in Oak’. 'The Detail Is In The Devil' is their third full-length release and first with new singer Russ Grimmett.

Read More →
Feb 24, 2024
Status Quo –Official Archive Series Vol.1 (Album Review)
Aug 1, 2023
Status Quo –Official Archive Series Vol.1 (Album Review)
Aug 1, 2023

Status Quo might not instantly spring to mind as an artist you would expect to embark on a series of archive releases, but if Vol.1 – Live In Amsterdam is any guide to the quality of this new undertaking, fans are in for a treat. The band has joined the likes of Bob Dylan and Neil Young in delving deep into the vaults to unearth, spruce up, and release a live show recorded on October 19th 2010, at the Heineken Hall in Amsterdam for a limited numbered edition CD and LP release. This makes perfect sense; Status Quo live, there are few better, so what more do you need to know?

Read More →
Aug 1, 2023
Fred Abbott and The Wild Unknown - Shining Under The Soot (Album Review)
Jul 7, 2023
Fred Abbott and The Wild Unknown - Shining Under The Soot (Album Review)
Jul 7, 2023

Fred Abbott may be better known to you as the guitarist from the much-loved and hard-to-pigeonhole band Noah & The Whale.  A popular live draw, their refreshing, inventive approach to songwriting and record-making set them apart from the crowd but ultimately the band split in 2015, with four albums to their name.  Abbott’s solo debut, Serious Poke, appeared shortly after, sporting a more straightforward, guitar-centred sound.  Eight years later - and having gained broad experience as a session musician and producer in between - Abbott has returned with Shining Under The Soot, a mature and beautifully crafted follow-up, brimming with energy and heart. 

Read More →
Jul 7, 2023
Arjen Lucassen’s Supersonic Revolution - Golden Age Of Music (Album Review)
May 20, 2023
Arjen Lucassen’s Supersonic Revolution - Golden Age Of Music (Album Review)
May 20, 2023

When you think of progressive rock/metal concept albums, one name springs instantly to mind, Arjen Lucassen. It could have all been so different for Lucassen, as his 1993 solo album, released under the Anthony moniker, ‘Pools Of Sorrow, Waves Of Joy’ was met with indifference by the record-buying public (finding a copy thirty years later will be a long and expensive search). Seemingly undaunted and already a hard rock veteran after stints in Bodine and Vengeance, Lucassen pushed on regardless, his determination resulting in a slew of projects that played a crucial role in revitalising the progressive rock/metal scene via releases under the Ayreon, Ambeon, Guilt Machine and Star One banners while still finding time for guest appearances and contributions to albums by leading lights of the scene such as Within Temptation and Avantasia. For this project, Lucassen has put his little black book of names to one side (Lucassen has enlisted many performers on his star-studded albums, especially singers) and settled on a band project, it’s still essentially a concept record in the Lucassen tradition, but he looks to be out to have a little fun, and the results are glorious.

Read More →
May 20, 2023
Richard Marx - Songwriter (Album Review)
Sep 30, 2022
Richard Marx - Songwriter (Album Review)
Sep 30, 2022

From his self-titled, triple platinum-selling debut album in 1987 to ‘Limitless’ in 2020, Richard Marx has had an unerring knack for a melody (not to mention a pretty wonderful voice). Marx's songwriting skills have enabled him to stay relevant throughout his nearly forty-year career. His sound has evolved over time, with the punchy guitars of the late 80s replaced by a smoother, more R&B/pop sound tailored to radio and streaming services. Along the way, his song craft has been in high demand, co-writing and/or contributing songs to a startling array of artists from Kenny Rogers to Keith Urban via NSYNC, Luther Vandross and Vixen. An impressive CV, but where does that chameleon-like ability to pen hit songs come from? How does he do it? Hopefully, ‘Songwriter’ might give us a bit of a clue as we take a journey through twenty tracks encompassing four genres; pop, rock, country and ballads.

Read More →
Sep 30, 2022
Status Quo - Riffs 2CD Deluxe (Album Review)
Sep 29, 2022
Status Quo - Riffs 2CD Deluxe (Album Review)
Sep 29, 2022

In 2003 fresh from the success of ‘Heavy Traffic’, which found a rejuvenated Quo recovering somewhat from a run of uninspired releases, things were seemingly on an upward curve. So, what do they do? They release another covers album…honestly guys, really? There’s been a trend in recent years, which isn’t particularly welcome, of bands rerecording their own songs or putting out cover albums of their “favourite” songs (usually the same “favourite” songs of every other band on the planet). The Quo did both on one album!

Read More →
Sep 29, 2022
Status Quo - Heavy Traffic 3CD Deluxe (Album Review)
Sep 26, 2022
Status Quo - Heavy Traffic 3CD Deluxe (Album Review)
Sep 26, 2022

I’ll always have a soft spot for Status Quo. Admittedly this is based on a hazy memory of a March 1981 show on the ‘Never Too Late tour. In those days, the Quo were a British institution as the classic line-up of Rossi, Parfitt, Lancaster and Coghlan were revered by fans and could be relied upon for no-nonsense hard rock of the highest order. It wasn’t overly complicated, but they had the songs; it was loud, it was sweaty, and that was good enough for me. Unfortunately, my love of all things Quo was brief as post ’82 Quo were a mere shadow of their former selves and had a string of pretty terrible records to prove it.

Read More →
Sep 26, 2022
Silent Running - Follow The Light (Album Review)
Jul 21, 2022
Silent Running - Follow The Light (Album Review)
Jul 21, 2022

Silent Running is a name that might be familiar to readers with a long memory. The Northern Irish rockers released their debut record ‘Shades Of Liberty’ on EMI in 1984 before moving to Atlantic for two further albums. The guys maintained a busy touring schedule that included shows with Talk Talk, Simple Minds, John Foxx and Robert Palmer and even appeared on The Tube (an iconic TV show that was incredibly influential at the time). Unfortunately, major success eluded them and the band called it a day in 1989. It looked like the Silent Running story was over, but after a thirty-year hiatus, the guys thought it might be fun to play a few songs at a band member’s wife’s birthday party. The birthday party would lead to a sold-out show at Belfast’s Voodoo, and now Silent Running are back with a fourth album, ‘Follow The Light’ to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the band.

Read More →
Jul 21, 2022
Envy Of None - Envy Of None (Album Review)
Apr 6, 2022
Envy Of None - Envy Of None (Album Review)
Apr 6, 2022

As a founding member of legendary Canadian rockers Rush, Alex Lifeson sold millions of records and embarked on numerous world tours with bandmates Geddy Lee and Neil Peart. The trio played huge venues to a level of fan adoration that many of their contemporaries could only imagine. The only time I was lucky enough to catch the band was on their ‘Roll The Bones’ tour at London’s Wembley Arena. That night convinced me how special they could be, even if I wasn’t always totally convinced by their varied musical output. Rush played their last shows as a band in 2015, and with the sad passing of Neil Peart in 2020, the Rush story came to an understandable, albeit sad conclusion. This brings us to the question of what do you do when you have been there, done it and bought the t-shirt (and probably a very nice house)?

Read More →
Apr 6, 2022
John Illsley - VIII (Album Review)
Mar 4, 2022
John Illsley - VIII (Album Review)
Mar 4, 2022

For many, John Illsley will always be the imposing figure standing next to Mark Knopfler as Dire Straits left the London pub circuit behind and achieved worldwide domination via their fifth album ‘Brothers In Arms'. The band almost singlehandedly convinced every household they needed a shiny little 5” silver disc to replace all those old and antiquated black slabs of 12" vinyl. Approximately 30 million of us did just that (which, in 2022, is pretty ironic considering the perceived cool factor of LPs these days). Alongside Mark Knopfler, John Illsley was the only other band member to do a full tour of duty with Dire Straits on their almost twenty-year run before the band slowly faded away in the early 1990s. John’s solo career actually began during his time in Dire Straits with the ‘Never Told A Soul’ LP in 1984. John has continued to release albums on a semi-regular basis, with VIII being, unsurprisingly, his eighth studio album.

Read More →
Mar 4, 2022
David Crosby - For Free (Album Review)
Jul 22, 2021
David Crosby - For Free (Album Review)
Jul 22, 2021

A mere month before his 80th birthday David Crosby returns with a new record ‘For Free’ and continues a career renaissance that would have been, at the very least, unlikely just a few short years ago. The famed singer and songwriter is undoubtedly one of the greats. His role as a founding member of two of the seminal groups of the late 60s (The Byrds/Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young) and his contribution and influence on what became known as the Laurel Canyon sound confirms Crosby’s status. Unfortunately, Crosby’s career has been dogged by personal tragedy, ill health, substance abuse and a seemingly unmatched ability to annoy the hell out of people, most notably his fellow band members. With the release of ‘Lighthouse’ in 2016 Crosby was back making great music in the studio and touring with like-minded musicians who understood Crosby’s musical legacy and were intent on adding to it. The genesis of this resurgence can be traced back to Crosby’s work in CPR a trio he formed with his son James Raymond and Jeff Pevar. It was Raymond who produced Crosby’s first solo album in twenty years (2014’s ‘Croz’) and now helms ‘For Free’.

Read More →
Jul 22, 2021
Creye - II (Album Review)
Mar 16, 2021
Creye - II (Album Review)
Mar 16, 2021

Originally formed by guitarist Andreas Gullstrand back in 2015 Swedish melodic rockers Creye are back with (I’m gonna take a wild guess here) their second album. Since the release of their well-received debut in 2018, the band have gained a new singer in August Rauer and spent the majority of 2019 on the road honing their sound. The result is an impressive release that marries muscle with melody harking back to the likes of fellow Swedes Europe and Bad Habit while adding more than a hint of pop nous. RGM featured Creye late last year in our popular Hard Place feature and we thought a proper look at their latest album was well overdue.

Read More →
Mar 16, 2021

June 25, 2020 /David Vousden
Nick D'Virgilio, NDV, Big Big Train, Spock's Beard, Tears For Fears, Genesis
Album Reviews, Classic Rock, Progressive Rock, Rock, Singer-Songwriter
  • Newer
  • Older
News RSS
Album Reviews RSS
Live Reviews RSS
Foreign Music CDJapan

Red Guitar Music is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.co.uk and affiliated sites.

Powered by Squarespace