The Summary Judgment Reviews:
Title: Elements of Persuasion
Artist: James LaBrie
Label: Inside Out Music
Release Date: 3/29/05

Rating: 4 Skulls
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    • Reviewed by Requiem (8/24/05):
    Man, these Dream Theater guys just can't relax, can they? Petrucci has been doing his solo thing, Portnoy's busy with Beatallica and tons of other projects, Rudess did some shows with Blackfield and Myung has done his time with Platypus. Well, that leaves James LaBrie, who'd done his solo thing with the Mullmuzzler project and opted this time to just go as James LaBrie. It's my first real experience with anything of his outside of Dream Theater, but it doesn't disappoint. This guy has a disgusting knack for amazing melodies that won't leave your brain without some sort of brain erasure method. Of course he's got quite the arsenal of musicians that can pound out jaw-dropping shred tactics, but here it's about tasteful playing that accents the rather straightforward and often heavy compositions.

    Being a huge fan of Dream Theater and LaBrie's vocals, I'm probably a bit biased when listening to this. Of course, some of this sounds a bit Dream Theater-ish, but it also has its own vibe going on, as it should. A lot of the album leans towards the aggressive side of things like album opener "Crucify" and "Undecided" which, via the polished production, are crushing. LaBrie's softer side comes in with ballads "Lost" and "Smashed," which are a breath of fresh air after the absence of quality mellow material on Dream Theater's Train of Thought. "Alone" and "Undecided" have those choruses that are as addictive as crack, strategically constructed to never leave your brain.

    The bottom line is, if you're a fan of LaBrie's previous work, you'll have no problem with this. The man has the gift to write great vocal melodies and his voice just keeps getting better over time. The rest of the clan succeed in writing a solid album that is diverse, challenging and maintains a modern heavy edge that'll win over some of the newer generation. Elements of Persuasion stands tall in the vast discography of Dream Theater related endeavors.
    <4 out of 5

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