Following his debut solo outing Gravity, Dreamless draws on guitarist Dave Foster’s influences and evokes shades of the bands and artists he’s been playing with in recent years – Mr. So & So, Panic Room and the Steve Rothery Band included.
The mix of styles and feels here is impressive, from the opener Cabello (Your Girl) which is, alongside the vaguely threatening funk tinged Black Sunrise, probably the most Panic Roomy track, to the light pop rock single fare of New York Rain and the big chunky riffing of Amitriptyline.
Given his connections, it’s no great surprise that a number of guests feature, including Rothery, who provides exciting extra solo guitar in Ache, and Panic Room’s Anne-Marie Helder, who fronts Brahma. There are some lovely acoustic/folky moments, especially the yearning You Have No New Messages (fragile vocal from Dinet Poortman) and Counting Clouds, a duet between Foster and Helder.
One of the highlights has to be the closer Morphine Sleep, an instrumental that could easily serve as a short film soundtrack. Dreamless further bolsters Foster’s credentials and serves as a reminder of exactly why he’s in such high demand.
