When I first got this collection of songs I noticed every one of them had a different line up performing each song and I was fearful that it would end up being a directionless mess. While every song had a feel of its own it also felt like they all shared a vision. A good metaphor would be like 3 different directors filming short movies of different stories by the same author.

The common thread here is the vision of guitarist Avi Rosenfeld, and this ambitious project is called "Very Heepy Very Purple IX & X", a nod to the very obvious influences of URIAH HEEP and DEEP PURPLE. So much so it affected its originality score. To go through this collection song by song would be a Herculean task, so I'm going to point out the high-lights and give a general overview.

As a whole, I enjoyed both IX & X. As a musician and composer, Avi is talented and is able to not only write music that kept me interested, but let genres while keeping a common sound, meaning it all sounded like he had a concept and applied it throughout, whether it be on the bluesy "Lost Behind Enemy Lines" or what felt like a jam session "Straying Bullet"

One common thread throughout both collections was his brilliant use of the Hammond Organ. "Sabbath" offered up a nice clean sounding version with some amazing keyboard work, Where in "Sail the Seas of Inspiration" offered up a more Jack Lord inspired type of tremolo/distorted sound.

The true genius of these collections though is Rosenfeld's ability to mix and produce a sound that is consistent and of high quality despite having so many different performers. The levels are steady, the sound pleasing and the vocals were near perfection in their recording. Kudos Avi!

Overall it is a very enjoyable piece of work, especially if you enjoy that Richie Blackmore / early 70's sound. I know I do and am looking forward to exploring Avi Rosefeld's back catalog in the future.