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Alan Hewitt & One Nation: “Evolution” – a fusion of superb technique and emotion!

Alan Hewitt has had the honor of working as Co-Producer alongside Maurice White of Earth Wind and Fire (EWF) for over half a decade with EWF’s Greatest Hits album going platinum in 2000. His co-writing and piano/B-3 contributions on the platinum record Cherry Pie with Warrant solidified Hewitt as a musical talent. Besides being the keyboardist for legendary rock band The Moody Blues, and touring with them worldwide since 2010, Hewitt’s list of record production credits – as both a producer and recording artist – spans across various major labels and genres with over 12 million records sold.

Hewitt  is also the composer for a long list of major film and television productions, including National Lampoon’s Van Wilder, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, Survivor, MTV, Access Hollywood, Tom Holland’s Twisted Tales and is a favored composer for the Oprah Winfrey Show.

alan-hewitt-400As a solo artist, Hewitt draws from the diverse worlds of contemporary jazz, fusion, pop and rock. It was his 2004 release, Noche de Pasion, that marked his emergence on the instrumental scene, which was followed by his critically acclaimed 2006 release Metropolis. His newest CD, Alan Hewitt & One Nation “Evolution” is a fusion of rock, jazz an prog. Alan is featured on piano and keyboards and he is joined by JV Collier (Bruce Hornsby Noisemakers) Grammy winner, Sonny Emory (Steely Dan, Earth, Wind & Fire, Stanley Clark) Jamie Glaser (Anderson/Ponty Band, Chick Corea’s Electrik Band, Lenny White Band) guitarist Duffy King and also special guests Orianthi (Michael Jackson, Alice Cooper) and #1 YouTube Artist of the Year Alex Boye.

It is clear before even listening to one single note, that Alan Hewitt & One Nation are musicians of great virtuosity, individually they are all lauded by their peers, earning most musicians respect. There have hardly been better musicians on the planet, especially in a band together.

As many, I did not expect this album, and therefore did not raise my expectations as I have often done in the past with groups of this caliber. Now after having heard the 12-track “Evolution” album, I could have expected the impossible, because Alan Hewitt & One Nation delivers just that!

Alan Hewitt
Alan Hewitt

Musically “Evolution” does not let down ever, it is a compilation of great songs performed to perfection. It is familiar, it is fresh, it old, it is new…moreover it is compelling. While Alan Hewitt is a virtuoso on the keyboard, it is his great ear for creating amazing soundscapes over a myriad of percolating rhythms that truly astounds.

From the elastic fusion of “Devotion” to the crushing rock rhythms of “Wunderland” or the funk-driven pile driver “Revelation (ft. Alex Boye)” to the scintillating prog-rock of “Utopia (ft. Orianthi)”, you know you are listening to one of the most brilliant, polished, mature, and masterful crossover albums in quite a few years. Alan Hewitt’s songwriting and mastery on the keyboards is truly awesome, and none more so than on “Into The Eye (ft. Orianthi)” and “Big Bang”, where it is impossible not to get Goosebumps! The talent pool has a bottomless depth when it comes to Hewitt and the group musicians who perform here, and I am so glad to have jumped in and taken a swim.

These are masters at the top of their craft all the way around, with Alan Hewitt leading the sonic onslaught in every bar and bridge, though he does leave plenty of room for all the musicians to shine alongside him, and boy they do.

It is also great to hear the vocals from Alex Boye, who seems to be moving places really fast, while Orianthi, as always, is technically superb, without over-dominating the songs. Another standout performer is Duffy King who rips his electrifying six-string through some of the most wondrous pieces.

No question, Alan Hewitt is a great talent of our age, surrounded by a group of musicians in ONE NATION that exult his every quality. The result is “Evolution” which projects both superb technique and emotion at the same time. It’s a mature body of work that speaks volumes on why real musicians, who play real instruments, still create the most inspiring, compelling and masterfully performed original compositions in the era of loops, samples and software technology!

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