Perhaps Fernando Perdomo should have slowly ramped up his 12-album series. Waves, an inviting and daring collection of songs, just arrived in January – and the incisive Waves 2 is now set for release later in February.
Can the journeyman guitarist, singer/songwriter and producer reached the same heights as the first Waves album? Listening to Waves and Waves 2 back-to-back confirms Perdomo has a deep bench of progressive rock instrumentals that deserve repeated listening.
In all, he’s giving his fans almost three box sets of music. Waves 2 continues the musical themes from both the four Out to Sea albums and the Waves releases. Perdomo does all the musical heavy lifting, playing guitar, bass, drums, and a series of vintage keyboards. The result is a warm and original-sounding release.
“Brothers of the Ocean” starts the album with mystical keyboards, soaring, clean guitars and epic drumming. The wordless vocalization only adds to the mystery, while the lead guitar and analog-sounding keyboards add to the vastness of the song. The album’s first single, “Journey on a River,” combines a driving rhythm backing with a slightly distorted guitar lead, which gives the feeling of rapid forward motion. Perdomo adds melodic bass passages and dynamic drumming to create the scene.
“Sea to Sea,” another of my favorite songs on this LP, starts with ethereal keyboards, delicate bass and drums. The keys recall slower Tony Banks-type passages, while the song’s main theme is delicate and beautiful. “Black Mountain Blue Sky” provides a nice mid-tempo contrasts. Synth strings and harmonized lead guitars give the song a heavier edge. Perdomo didn’t include a prog-rock epic on Waves 2 but this song would’ve been a great candidate. It simply begs for a few more measures.
“This Appearing Act,” with its marching rhythms and ’70s-style synth, is another excellent vehicle for Fernando Perdomo’s soaring guitar leads. The mid-song turnaround cleverly allows his guitars to take flight. “Alone by the Sea (3AM)” shakes things up with its 3/4 time signature, assertive acoustic guitar rhythm, and majestic lead guitar. The song is the longest on the album and is a building block for an epic album closer.
While “Sunset In Queenstown” isn’t that epic, that does not mean the listener will be disappointed. Fernando Perdomo has crafted another engaging chapter in the Waves series. Is it better than the original release? That’s a tall order, but you be the judge.
- Fernando Perdomo – ‘Waves 2’ (2025) - February 12, 2025
- Omar Thomas Large Ensemble – ‘Griot Songs’ (2025) - February 9, 2025
- ‘Crowded House: Every Album, Every Song’ by Jon Magidsohn: Books - January 22, 2025
