Anyone who has seen the Nashville-based trio Thinking Plyers will likely contend that the experience of a Plyers' live show is incomparable to any other music act on the road today. Deep South fans of the Plyers' follow the groovin' eclectic sounds across state lines into the latest nights of musical revelry. The good times and great beats of Thinking Plyers take an often wayfaring direction at the command of Colin Allured, Paul Westbrook, and Ryan Westbrook. Though many of the progressive rock group's followers hold preciously onto the Plyers' first two albums, their self-titled first album and their second, Cosmic Romance, the spirit of their latest recording venture Fourteen Real Dreams, is a strong collection of classic lyrics and rhythms quite distinct from its precursors. The third and highly anticipated album became available in March and has since brought these accomplished musicians to a new level of popularity along the Deep South and the Tennessee - North Carolina stretch of their regional touring. Why the sudden propulsion of critical acclaim? The recording rocks! The most significant change in this album compared to those of the past is the fact that the Plyers themselves have outgrown their own musical image. Excelling beyond the bounds of personal identities, they still maintain a coherent and clearly defined sound. A duality of sorts has transpired in the merging of music and its musicians. The Plyers' music evokes all sorts of feelings into its listener while the sounds permeate into your inner most desires and regrets only to leave you curiously satiated. "I Saw You Dancing" infuses a jumping tempo into a groove that is dance worthy and a classic in its own rite. There is something to be said and praised about a song that can sound familiar upon its initial hearing, yet transcends your expectations every time it's heard thereafter. It's called timeless and a classic. The point is that this show favorite never gets old and is so well written that a change in tempo can bring a whole new sound to the tune allowing you to experience the song again for the first time. A beautiful guitar tone creates a melody so soothing to the ears that you can not resist moving with a nostalgic rhythm to "Long Road." This jam has the most relaxed pace and ease at which one can listen to it and just be permeated through and through by never ending verses. The lyrics seem to describe the emotional charges that occur when chance meets desire. One can experience the truth of such relationships in, "Natalie." Allured's voice cries over the bars of this tune that sounds like a brooding last look at an exhausted romance until the uplifting accompaniment of guest musician Jacob Tilton on keys rings vibrantly through the melancholy hum of this tale of dimming love. While "Divin' In" exhibits the band's more playful side, "Eldorado" is a wickedly soothing tune with an interesting guitar jam and some heart raising drumming. "Moonlight" has a distinctively different pace from other tracks, yet exudes the somber graveness of "Eldorado" and similarly lulls you into thought and dreamy projections of the future. The sitar infused song, "Broken Triangle" is this author's second favorite from the album. The poetry is sad, and it is honest. A note on lyrics. The consistency of theme throughout the album is intriguing. All words are not completely audible upon the first spinning of the cd, but the feeling conveyed is very clear. To go back and read the lyrics is almost a treat, filling in gaps in verses you missed and connecting references once misunderstood. Never will you find a contradiction nor a hypocritical phrase, just music with integrity. Guest musician Andy Hall's lap steel on "Beloved" makes this high tempo country two-step a winner. "Nashville Ballad" and "A Bump in the Road" feature vocals by bassist, Paul Westbrook, and give the album a down home country essence. These are songs you would hear from a humbly optimistic voice singing from the lonely corner of a small café. Like a daily devotional the lyrics of "A Bump in the Road" read, and when set to music they ring through your speakers like an ode to the past. "King Visualizer" is another tease at your emotions. The song is chock-full of lyrics that are so tastefully set in motion with the beat of the song that you will find yourself both puzzled by the meaning of this syncopated rant and pondering the meaning it has on your dancing feet. The album is intense, but intensely fun at the same time. So where is Home for the Thinking Plyers? One could only guess by the many allusions made throughout the course of this album. A place of birth? An address? Security? What is your interpretation? Are there ends to our beginnings? "Nowhere to go but home," "too proud to come back home," "dream back home," they sing until finally saying, "we are back home."

Fourteen Real Dreams, the latest release from Thinking Plyers, is a cool drink of water in a desert of the ordinary. The first thing that stikes the listener is that the three members of the band went to the studio with a very clear and unified vision to each song. Every image that the band conjures is perfectly illistrated by the bands superb playing. Take, for example, "Long Road", track 2 on the disk. The band so seemlessly flows through ideas that I had to wonder if there was some wierd telepathy going on. This track, like the rest of the album, captures you with subtlety and effortlessly takes you to a high place when the band is really rocking and just plain going for it. Throughout the album, the band is aided by special guests, however, the music created by the three members of the band certainly stands on its own. The playing is great and the songs are honest and well crafted. Don't let this album pass you by.

The production is great, and the songs have an almost instant appeal. Allured's guitar sound and style is incredibly polished and generally the overall mood is quite laid back-- a late nite smoky bar with some good ale, good company, and Thinking Plyers playing away. Moonlight, Long Road, Ananda Dream and Beloved are all well above average.

1. Thinking Plyers -- a Nashville-based band of local boys made good -- is promoting its new CD "Fourteen Real Dreams" with the tagline "a journey through the dreamscapes of a mind not unlike your own." That's what got me interested in this release. I thought it was encouraging to see young people focusing on what they have in common with others rather than what makes them different. 2. When the Plyers' Paul Westbrook mailed me a promo CD, he took the time to decorate the envelope with elaborate original artwork. 3. The lyrics of all 14 songs really do explore the experience of dreaming. There is abundant imagery of night and celestial bodies, and a recurrent narrative of a man searching for a long-lost love in his dreams. 4. The songwriters put as much thought into the lyrics as the music. 5. As a result of listening to a lot of Grateful Dead, the Thinking Plyers have developed the distinctly Deadhead attitude that it's cool to be serious about music and have fun with it at the same time. The result is music that's enjoyable to listen to but doesn't insult your intelligence. 6. There's plenty of diversity and tempo change here. The CD begins with five leisurely, jazzy, melodic ballads. With the fifth cut, the Dead-style funk kicks in with the herky jerky "Divin In'." For the seventh and eighth cuts, the band eases way up with a couple of bittersweet ballads whose instrumentation has been stripped down to the minimum. 7. Those distinctive seventh and eighth cuts made me recall (with fondness) my days of listening to American Music Club. The cuts have a very similar kind of sweet sadness, and they work as a solid anchor to the CD. 8. The repeated refrain on the seventh song -- "Forgive the world. I know it hurt you." -- and the lyrical hook that backs it up show that this band explores the full range of human emotion (rather than limiting itself, as most bands do, to the narrow realm of youthful self-pity). 9. While the singing needs a little fine tuning, and the playing sometimes has the slightly muddy sound of a group of young musicians who still aren't always quite as tight as they need to be, that's OK. The feeling's there. 10. If numbers 1-9 aren't enough to inspire you to listen to this CD, ask yourself how you can possibly resist a band that can come up with a couplet such as: It's a long road to heaven, But I'll walk it by your side. 11. I think these people understand what music is all about. Consider some lines from "Ananda Dream": Yes, we are all gonna die some day. / So then why should I stand here merrily singing? / Ah, it's just a whisper to Eternity. 12. The Thinking Plyers work hard. They pay for their own records, do their own promotion and maintain a demanding tour schedule. 13. In short, they're keeping it independent. 14. This liner notes revealed to me that there is such a thing as an electric sitar. The line-up of Thinking Plyers is Colin Allured (guitar); Paul Westbrook (bass) and Ryan Westbrook (drums) -- all folks from around here. Don't miss the chance to support these creative young people. You can hear their songs by visiting the Web site at www.thinkingplyers.com. If you're not wired, give Paul Westbrook a call at (615) 333-6643.