James LaBrie Solo

[The Walrus]

I think the lyrics could use work on a lot of the songs and some of them sound like filler to me but overall I really do love the last two solo albums James (and Matt) have put together. Impermanent Resonance is a personal favorite of mine, songs like Why?, Agony, Back On The Ground (cheesy lyrics and all), I Got You etc. man I love it all and I can't fucking wait to see what they play at ProgPower next year. And if there's a new solo album coming soon and maybe a tour, all the better, 2018 is going to be a kickass year.

Bring it on!! I wanna meet James at PP!!

[ReaperKK]

I was just about to bump this thread. I'm spinning EoP for the first time in years and I forgot how much this album kicked ass.

[gzarruk]

It's clear that Matt is the main writer. He's also working on a solo album and he posted a demo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3huUvJWJTo) that sounds very similar to the JLB albums.

I wish James got more involved on the writing process as he's putting his name on it, but I guess its Matt's way to get his music to much more people (under James' name) instead of just releasing them under his own name, because he's not a big, famous name in the genere, and James is.

[Madman Shepherd]

It's clear that Matt is the main writer. He's also working on a solo album and he posted a demo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3huUvJWJTo) that sounds very similar to the JLB albums.

I wish James got more involved on the writing process as he's putting his name on it, but I guess its Matt's way to get his music to much more people (under James' name) instead of just releasing them under his own name, because he's not a big, famous name in the genere, and James is.

James has essentially admitted that's why his name is on it.

[gzarruk]

It's clear that Matt is the main writer. He's also working on a solo album and he posted a demo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3huUvJWJTo) that sounds very similar to the JLB albums.

I wish James got more involved on the writing process as he's putting his name on it, but I guess its Matt's way to get his music to much more people (under James' name) instead of just releasing them under his own name, because he's not a big, famous name in the genere, and James is.

James has essentially admitted that's why his name is on it.

Seriously? I never thought he would say that 

[Bolsters]

There were rumours of a Matt solo album back around the release of IR, glad to see it finally come to fruition.

[Ben_Jamin]

It's clear that Matt is the main writer. He's also working on a solo album and he posted a demo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3huUvJWJTo) that sounds very similar to the JLB albums.

I wish James got more involved on the writing process as he's putting his name on it, but I guess its Matt's way to get his music to much more people (under James' name) instead of just releasing them under his own name, because he's not a big, famous name in the genere, and James is.

James has essentially admitted that's why his name is on it.

Seriously? I never thought he would say that 

Well, the whole project was called Mullmuzzler.

[TAC]

The Muzzmuzzler albums are awesome. These last few..not so much.

[Cool Chris]

The Muzzmuzzler albums are awesome. These last few..not so much.

Whoa, this is like the first time I've seen us totally disagree on something in the general music subforum.

[Madman Shepherd]

It's clear that Matt is the main writer. He's also working on a solo album and he posted a demo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3huUvJWJTo) that sounds very similar to the JLB albums.

I wish James got more involved on the writing process as he's putting his name on it, but I guess its Matt's way to get his music to much more people (under James' name) instead of just releasing them under his own name, because he's not a big, famous name in the genere, and James is.

James has essentially admitted that's why his name is on it.

Seriously? I never thought he would say that 

Yeah.  While promoting the last album James admitted Matt was the main songwriter.  Even for the previous one he said something along the lines of, "This should really have Matt's name on it too but since my name is more recognizable it makes sense for promotion."  He didn't go so far as to say Matt is the main songwriter while promoting the previous album.  I think there may even be a Q&A with Matt Guillory on this message board (I think) from around the time of the most recent album and he addresses some of it. 

I believe EoP had more LaBrie input because they actually recorded most of that in Canada whereas the last two were recorded elsewhere (in Sweden maybe) and then James recorded his vocals in Canada without anybody else there. 

[Lethean]

I love the Mullmuzzler albums and Elements of Persuasion.  The last 2 are a bit too formulaic for me (with a formula that I don't like so much), but I'm still looking forward to the live show.

[gzarruk]

I like the 5 albums, and think their current direction is fine, but my favorite is still EOP. It has the most interesting songs/lineup imo.

[Adami]

I've said it 1000 times, I hope they change things up a good amount on the next album. I love the last 2 (and the others before it) but this specific style/formula has run its course. Time to try new things.

[The Silent Cody]

I have to admit that I didn't listen to Impermanent Resonance so much lately. I even don't remember any song from this one, have to catch up with that. But, I still love Static Impulse and Elements Of Persuasion. Those two hit straight into my head from the first time. I have a funny story about EOP. When it was released in 2005 both with Octavarium, EOP leaked and I was thinking (not only me I suppose ) that this is a new DT album (Octavarium then). I went to a DT concert in Poznań, Poland in 2005 thinking that I knew Octavarium very well... How big my eyes was when DT played The Root Of All Evil and Panic Attack at the beginning of the show... I was very very surprised   

[JayOctavarium]

Yea that's around the time I started getting into DT... well, 2006. Anyways I had downloaded a bunch of DT songs off of a mp3 sharing site.  A couple tracks were EoP tracks.. and I spent a good few months thinking they were Dream Theater until I got a proper (burned) copy of 8VRM from my buddy.

[wolfking]

Spun both SI and IR in the car this week, still some of the best metal I've heard for a long time, great stuff.

[Bolsters]

Spun both SI and IR in the car this week, still some of the best metal I've heard for a long time, great stuff.

[cramx3]

Spun both SI and IR in the car this week, still some of the best metal I've heard for a long time, great stuff.

Yup, and I would take these over the Mullmuzzler albums

[gzarruk]

I've said it 1000 times, I hope they change things up a good amount on the next album. I love the last 2 (and the others before it) but this specific style/formula has run its course. Time to try new things.

I agree. It would be nice to hear some more variety. SI and IR sound pretty much the same (they're great, just too similar).

[MirrorMask]

I've said it 1000 times, I hope they change things up a good amount on the next album. I love the last 2 (and the others before it) but this specific style/formula has run its course. Time to try new things.

I agree. It would be nice to hear some more variety. SI and IR sound pretty much the same (they're great, just too similar).

Agree as well. No way a third album in the same style will live up to those two, time to shake things up.

[Samsara]

...and perhaps James will actually write most of the lyrics and vocal melodies this time.

It drives me batty that while it is a band, it IS his name, and all he basically does is lend his voice to it. I want to hear what James wants to sing about, and his melodic choices.

[gzarruk]

...and perhaps James will actually write most of the lyrics and vocal melodies this time.

It drives me batty that while it is a band, it IS his name, and all he basically does is lend his voice to it. I want to hear what James wants to sing about, and his melodic choices.

Hopefully there's more of that on the next DT album too!

[Mladen]

I think his lyrical imput shouldn't be diminished. But yes, I also wish he was more involved in the project.

[The Walrus]

I personally wouldn't mind a third album like the last two but that's because I really enjoy SI and IR. The lyrics are cringey at times but until The Astonishing I thought James's voice was utilized SO much better on those albums than any DT album in a long time, so that added to my enjoyment.

I wouldn't mind a shift in direction but man if the next album has songs like Agony or Mislead or even I Tried or Undertow... I'd be mighty happy

[Herrick]

...and perhaps James will actually write most of the lyrics and vocal melodies this time.

It drives me batty that while it is a band, it IS his name, and all he basically does is lend his voice to it. I want to hear what James wants to sing about, and his melodic choices.

Hopefully there's more of that on the next DT album too!

I've never understood why LaBrie doesn't write more lyrics in Dream Theater. I wonder what he thinks about that?

Also, no surprise that whichever guitar player LaBrie works with on his solo albums is writing all the music. LaBrie doesn't play any instruments as far as I know.

[gzarruk]

...and perhaps James will actually write most of the lyrics and vocal melodies this time.

It drives me batty that while it is a band, it IS his name, and all he basically does is lend his voice to it. I want to hear what James wants to sing about, and his melodic choices.

Hopefully there's more of that on the next DT album too!

I've never understood why LaBrie doesn't write more lyrics in Dream Theater. I wonder what he thinks about that?

Also, no surprise that whichever guitar player LaBrie works with on his solo albums is writing all the music. LaBrie doesn't play any instruments as far as I know.

It's actually the keyboard player 

[Adami]

...and perhaps James will actually write most of the lyrics and vocal melodies this time.

It drives me batty that while it is a band, it IS his name, and all he basically does is lend his voice to it. I want to hear what James wants to sing about, and his melodic choices.

Hopefully there's more of that on the next DT album too!

I've never understood why LaBrie doesn't write more lyrics in Dream Theater. I wonder what he thinks about that?

Also, no surprise that whichever guitar player LaBrie works with on his solo albums is writing all the music. LaBrie doesn't play any instruments as far as I know.

Maybe he doesn't want to? Not every musician is bursting at the seems with ideas they want to write. Sometimes they just love the act of performing. There's been some instances of him being told he can't write lyrics to a song here or there in DT, but I'm pretty sure in his solo band, the dude can do what he wants. So if he's not writing lyrics, he's probably not fighting terribly hard for it.

Also yea, as gazorpazorp said, it's the keyboard player who writes most of it. Though I know they have a co-writing guitar playing who (as far as I know) doesn't actually perform on the albums.

[JayOctavarium]

...and perhaps James will actually write most of the lyrics and vocal melodies this time.

It drives me batty that while it is a band, it IS his name, and all he basically does is lend his voice to it. I want to hear what James wants to sing about, and his melodic choices.

Hopefully there's more of that on the next DT album too!

I've never understood why LaBrie doesn't write more lyrics in Dream Theater. I wonder what he thinks about that?

Also, no surprise that whichever guitar player LaBrie works with on his solo albums is writing all the music. LaBrie doesn't play any instruments as far as I know.

Maybe he doesn't want to? Not every musician is bursting at the seems with ideas they want to write. Sometimes they just love the act of performing. There's been some instances of him being told he can't write lyrics to a song here or there in DT, but I'm pretty sure in his solo band, the dude can do what he wants. So if he's not writing lyrics, he's probably not fighting terribly hard for it.

Also yea, as gazorpazorp said, it's the keyboard player who writes most of it. Though I know they have a co-writing guitar playing who (as far as I know) doesn't actually perform on the albums.

The guitarist or former guitarist from Soilwork (Soilwerk?) made some writing contributions to the latest album, but I don't think it was anything major. A riff or idea here and there.

I could be wrong though.

Edit:

It was Peter Wichers of Soilwork. He is credited with "guitar recording, editing, composing"

[Lethean]

I think Wichers made a big contribution to the album.  It seems like it has that Soilwork formula.

[mikeyd23]

Count me in the group that has loved the last two records but would love to see them switch things up next time around. Part of the charm of JLBs stuff has always been a relative amount of change with the lineup over the years. Let DT be that consistent thing, have fun with the solo stuff and continue to use it as an opportunity to work with a variety of people.

[Herrick]

It's actually the keyboard player 

Whoops sorry.

Maybe he doesn't want to? Not every musician is bursting at the seems with ideas they want to write. Sometimes they just love the act of performing. There's been some instances of him being told he can't write lyrics to a song here or there in DT, but I'm pretty sure in his solo band, the dude can do what he wants. So if he's not writing lyrics, he's probably not fighting terribly hard for it.

I always had the impression that LaBrie kind of wasn't allowed to write a lot of lyrics because he's never (or very rarely?) involved in the song writing process and the lyrics and vocal melodies are already written when he comes into the studio to start recording vocals. However, I have no real evidence of this. I didn't mean to imply that he should write lyrics. If LaBrie chooses not to then that's cool.

[Grappler]

I think Wichers made a big contribution to the album.  It seems like it has that Soilwork formula.

I love that, and I'm glad that he's doing something different and heavier than Dream Theater.  I'd be happy if he continued on in the same vein, but also with some stupidly heavy songs like Crucify from Elements as well. 

[wolfking]

Actualy, Wichers only contributed to IR.  SI is all Labrie and Guillory.  Wichers obviously loved what they did on SI and wanted to get involved.  He only contributed to I think 6 of the tracks.

[bosk1]

Maybe he doesn't want to? Not every musician is bursting at the seems with ideas they want to write. Sometimes they just love the act of performing. There's been some instances of him being told he can't write lyrics to a song here or there in DT, but I'm pretty sure in his solo band, the dude can do what he wants. So if he's not writing lyrics, he's probably not fighting terribly hard for it.

I always had the impression that LaBrie kind of wasn't allowed to write a lot of lyrics because he's never (or very rarely?) involved in the song writing process and the lyrics and vocal melodies are already written when he comes into the studio to start recording vocals. However, I have no real evidence of this. I didn't mean to imply that he should write lyrics. If LaBrie chooses not to then that's cool.

No, it's not really a question of "allowed to" or not.  James is perfectly welcome to write lyrics.  I honestly think that if he came into the writing sessions with a bunch of ideas and said, "Hey, I have a lot of lyrical ideas that I think would be great for 8 of the 10 new songs on our new album," JP and the others would likely react along the lines of, "Great!  Have at it!" 

But I do think there is something to what you point out about him not being as present and involved in the writing of the music.  My understanding is that by the time the music is done, a lot of the vocal melodies and/or lyrics are either done or in progress as an outgrowth of the writing process.  So there just aren't as many opportunities unless he were to step up and say he felt strongly about a certain song or songs and wanted to do them.  And I think he more or less takes that mindset into the project with Matt.  He may have some general ideas, but mostly just trusts Matt and the others to write the music, and as an outgrown of that, a lot of the vocal melodies and lyrics get written as well, and James just comes in and sings. 

[The Walrus]

The only person I know who was kind of 'shut down' from writing lyrics was John Myung in Dream Theater but yeah I don't think James was ever prohibited from writing anything or told that his lyrics were 'too hard to write music around'