Soniq Theater - 2026 - Just Like Magic

(39:30; Soniq Theater)






















One always knows it is the New Year as there will be an email from keyboard player Alfred Mueller telling me about his latest album. He has only missed one year since 2000 when he commenced his solo career (he was previously in Rachel’s Birthday. This is his 26th album, and I have reviewed them all, and whenever I listen to them, I always feel he should be far more recognised, not just for his longevity and commitment but also because he has released some very nice material over the years.

This album finds him turning more to Wakeman than Jarre, especially on numbers like “King’s Enchanter (magic mix)” which has some nice punch and power and rocky elements, although the programmed drums are always an issue. However, he provides multiple keyboard layers, and it fairly bounds along which is nice. Over the years Alfred has experimented with vocals here and there, and it is rare that it is a positive outcome and sadly that is what we have again here on “Tears” which is a perfectly nice piano-led number, but the vocals simply are not up to the task and he would have been much better using a session singer as the result would undoubtedly have been much better. Overall this is a solid release again, although to my ears not really up there with some of his others, but undoubtedly in 12 months’ time I will be listening to the next album, and I look forward to it. 

Kev Rowland, July 2026

Links:
http://www.soniqtheater.de/

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