Boldly going where certainly very few actors have ever dared to go, William Shatner has once again taken his unique delivery of poetry to a very far-off land, marrying his singular talents this time with some names on his 2013 CD, Ponder The Mystery.
This is a concept album that revolves around, as Shatner claims, “a guy in despair who is living on a beach, and it takes him through the last hour of the day at sunset through twilight, into darkness and the sounds of the night in which he regains his fervor, his love of life based on the beauty of what he’s seeing around him.” Did you get that?
This 15-song collection sees ex-Yes members, Edgar Winter, Robby Krieger, Steve Vai, and even country star Vince Gill, all lending their talents to the record produced modern prog rock savior Billy Sherwood. “Where It’s Gone…I Don’t Know” features a sweet lead from Foreigner’s Mick Jones dancing around Shatner’s spoken-word drama and Sherwood’s counter vocal (something he lends to these songs throughout).
As with many of the songs here, “Manhunt” (featuring Simon House) is more of a cool recording of slinky drums and trilling guitars than a true Shatner song. Rick Wakeman’s contribution of mostly piano (fantastic as it is) with Sherwood’s drums and fretless bass makes “Changes” a well-played instrumental. Shatner offers even less dialog here than on “Manhunt”.
“Sunset” opens with some great harmonies, bass and flute playing by Joel Vandroogenbroeck. The listing of colors from Shatner might make this the one with the wackiest lyrics. Edgar Winter wails his sax through a short “Twilight” that flows into the shimmering “Rhythm Of The Night” with Shatner providing a dramatic read and Nik Turner, formerly of Hawkwind, playing low plodding sax.
Vince Gil, who played acoustic guitar and mandolin on the ballad “Imagine Things,” does work well within the Sherwood musical bed. “I’m Alright, I Think” is the best number here, a really wild Shatner take with exceptional drumming and Dave Koz playing some killer sax. “Alive” with Captain Beefheart’s guitarist Zoot Horn Rollo ends Ponder The Mystery as Shatner declares, “My joy is back and I’m glad I found it before it’s too late.” It makes for an appropriate finale on the 82-year-old Enterprise captain’s star-studded prog-laden journey.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
