[.ca] Quid Pro Quo

Quid Pro Veritas!!!:
Unlike some of the other reviewers, I have been keeping an eye on Kasim since the first Bat album, and I was only 16 then. I saw him in Houston on Meat's "Friends" tour in December 02, and this CD provides wonderful flashbacks to that show. You can hear the influence of Todd Rundgren and Jim Steinman. After that, the debate should be whether artists like Joan Jett, Ronnie Spector, and Celine Dion influenced him or he influenced them. This is the kind of music you can put on and close your eyes and just drift along with, or allow to become the background soundtrack as you go on with your life activities. To date, Kasim has been under-noticed, but for those who take the time to listen, he provides a listening experience extraordinaire.

How music should be:
Bought tickets for the Meat Loaf gig over here for November but was cancelled and finally saw it in the middle of January. I checked a web site to see who the support act was going to be and noticed it was Kasim. I'd never heard of him so decided to be open minded when the gig started. I can now say I've had the pleasure and honour of hearing Kasim play live, just him and his acoustic guitar. He played Sacrifice, Don't Hold Me Back and my now favourite Before She Was Gone. I bought the album and listened to it over and over again. The acoustic versions just blew me away with the melody and sheer brilliance of this artist. I only hope that he releases an acoustic album in the future so others can enjoy what I did that night.

A very satisfying listen:
A fine CD - with a nice surprise at the end of track 10. It seems Kasim Sulton has put together 10 very nice tracks, not a clunker in the bunch. Highlights include "Sacrifice", a nice up-tempo song. "Heaven Help the Child" is a tear-jerker song you might hear at a wedding - a beautiful, touching song that beats the heck out of "Wind Beneath My Wings". And of course, the final 3 minutes of "Goodbye" (the afore-mentioned track 10) will knock some people out of their chair - especially if they had seen the Utopia RA tour in the late 70s (I think that's when it was! HA!). All in all, a CD that won't be taken out of the CD changer for a L O N G time! Thanks, Kaz.

• Sacrifice
• Before She was Gone
• The One Sure Thing
• We the People
• Where is My Soul
• Heaven Help the Child
• Over for Now
• Don't Hold Me Back
• Remember
• Goodbye