Jordan Rudess New Solo Album - Launches single

[MinistroRaven]

Press release:



Legendary Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess is pleased to announce his brand new solo album 'Permission To Fly' will be released on September 6th, 2024 via InsideOutMusic. No stranger to experimentation, known for leading the charge in pushing creative, sonic, and technological boundaries, his latest endeavour, epitomizes this ethos, delving into the complexities of human existence within our multifaceted world.

As Jordan Rudess explains, "The essence of the album is deeply informed by the tumultuous events of 2023-2024, with motifs of peace and anti-violence woven throughout many of the songs."

To mark the announcement, he has launched the epic new track 'The Alchemist', with a video by Wayne Joyner.

Watch the video now here: https://youtu.be/vDcOvUwERX4

While some previous releases were true solo pursuits, this time, Rudess assembled a core group of musicians to support and elevate his vision.  The album features Jordan alongside That Joe Payne on vocals, Darby Todd (Devin Townsend) on drums & Steve Dadaian on guitar, as well as guest guitar solos from Bastian Martinez.

With the music in capable hands, Rudess wanted to make sure to give the lyrics their proper attention. For that, he turned to a source close to home, his daughter.

"All the lyrics on the album were written by my daughter, Ariana. While I enjoy writing lyrics myself, my primary focus tends to be on the sonic quality of the words. For this album, I wanted to delve deeper and offer something that resonated on a more profound and cerebral level. Ari did an exceptional job."

'Permission To Fly' will be available as Limited CD Digipak & Gatefold 180g 2LP (both incl. bonus material), as well as digitally. Pre-order now here: https://jordanrudess.lnk.to/PermissionToFly

1. The Final Threshold 04:08
2.  Into The Lair 09:31
3.  Haunted Reverie 05:14
4.  The Alchemist 08:36
5.  Embers 04:03
6.  Shadow of the Moon 05:29
7.  Eternal 08:53
8.  Footstep in the Snow 04:02
9. Dreamer 05:03
10. Incarnation 03:31 (Bonus Track)
11.  Chopin Fm 05:33 (Bonus Track)

[TAC]

Wow..well, that was interesting. I may have to check this out. I haven't checked in on any of Jordan's solo stuff before.
The singer is kind of creepy.

[The Letter M]

https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=58858

Been a few months since the initial reveal. Haven't heard the singles yet but it sure is an interesting line-up.

-Marc.

[gzarruk]

The singer is kind of creepy.

His delivery is very over the top, for sure. Haven't checked the new single yet, but I listened to the first one and also watched his videos with Jordan from CTTE.

[Dream Team]

Probably will be good, but no doubt has contributed to the delay of DT16.

[gzarruk]

Probably will be good, but no doubt has contributed to the delay of DT16.

IIRC, he's been working on it for a while. I don't think this had anything to do with the DT16 delay. The Dregs tour on the other hand...

[nobloodyname]

Look, I'm not a lyrics chap, not really. But hasn't anyone else noticed how the lyrics to this song are possibly the worst ever penned? According to my handy chart, they're approximately 133x worse than those for The Count of Tuscany. And the singer's performance in the video is genuinely one of the most hilarious misadventures I've ever witnessed. Which is a shame because the music itself isn't bad. But wow. Big piles of wow.

[MinistroRaven]

Look, I'm not a lyrics chap, not really. But hasn't anyone else noticed how the lyrics to this song are possibly the worst ever penned? According to my handy chart, they're approximately 133x worse than those for The Count of Tuscany. And the singer's performance in the video is genuinely one of the most hilarious misadventures I've ever witnessed. Which is a shame because the music itself isn't bad. But wow. Big piles of wow.

Yeah, those lyrics are lame

[RaiseTheKnife]

Classic Jordan fare, very intriguing.  Not a fan of the production on the vocals, but I think the lyrics and imaginative word choice are fantastic (and fitting for a progressive song).  Just my view.

[Architeuthis]

Wow, super cool song!  Very over the top proggy, which I love. He definitely picked the right drummer for this project..

[Adami]

Wow, super cool song!  Very over the top proggy, which I love. He definitely picked the right drummer for this project..

Yea. I dug the drummer. Nice sound and groove.

[hefdaddy42]

Look, I'm not a lyrics chap, not really. But hasn't anyone else noticed how the lyrics to this song are possibly the worst ever penned? According to my handy chart, they're approximately 133x worse than those for The Count of Tuscany. And the singer's performance in the video is genuinely one of the most hilarious misadventures I've ever witnessed. Which is a shame because the music itself isn't bad. But wow. Big piles of wow.

I don't think I reacted quite as viscerally as you did, but those are definitely not good lyrics.

And that singer is really something.

Otherwise, I really like this.

[nobloodyname]

I don't think I reacted quite as viscerally as you did, but those are definitely not good lyrics.

Fair. My partner watched the video with me after I started laughing. She was soon virtually doubled over laughing as an English literature teacher and published author (Not that that really means anything but hey, thought I'd throw it in!)

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

DT16 delay?

[hefdaddy42]

DT16 delay?

No

[DoctorAction]

I like the playing and sounds. Jordan's jazz-ish grooves are great. The whole is not something for me, unfortunately.

[Ben_Jamin]

I need to listen to it again, but I enjoyed it.

The lyrics are written by Rudess' daughter. So take that as you will, with him deciding to let her do these lyrics.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

No

I was asking what the other posters were referring to. AFAIK there is no delay whatsoever.

[MinistroRaven]

I'll interview Jordan, please post your questions here

[Schurftkut]

did he record the midi for Biaxident as well, and could that be used for transcribing his parts?

[MinistroRaven]

Who wants to review this album?

[Kocak]

I'll interview Jordan, please post your questions here

How does he approach the mixing and mastering phases of his albums. His discography suggests that he has an ear for it, has he ever thought of producing other bands or taking a bigger role in the production of Dream Theater albums?

[MinistroRaven]

[MinistroRaven]

You have to click Watch on YouTube

Jordan comments: "Creating the 'Shadow of the Moon' video with Lightricks was an incredible experience. Working with such a talented team and the contest winner, and using Lightricks' new cutting-edge LTX studio software, brought my vision to life in ways I couldn't have imagined. This collaboration truly showcases how powerful it is to combine music with innovative visual storytelling."

Get a glimpse at the creative process and how it came together here :