http://www.rockpages.gr/reviews/2008/KWinger-FromTheMoon-eng.htm


Each and every private Kip Winger job is a special case. The worldwide success of Winger at the end of the 80s and the beginning of the 90s is now past, no matter how good IV was 2 years ago or how pleasantly nostalgic Demo Anthology was or how uplifting, delightful and of expected quality Winger Live was just a while ago.

For the ones that followed Kip on his musical trip right after Winger and were willing to dig deep into his personal lyrical ideology, this trip was a totally pleasant one, twirling through pop/rock passages of deep lyricism and musical quality of a higher level. The initial Kip Winger’s works were not only creations of high aesthetics, but furthermore, they were a pure specimen of musical genius at birth and of an inspiration hard to find these days. And if Kip with the, targeted to success, music of Winger became a rock star, with his personal works he showed that a chart-star can cary with him so much quality that he can create music to be considered classic in the future to come.

This Conversation Seems Like A Dream and Songs From the Ocean Floor may protrude a different Kip both being artistic creations of a higher level, however this From The Moon To The Sun, comes to complete this high level to the highest degree, verifying the artistic individuality, moreover Kip’s compositional ingenuity, certifying him, at no exaggeration, to one of the most important American musicians of our times.

Without a doubt, From the Moon To The Sun walks safely on the track curved by the two previous albums and it utilizes all those characteristics that lend value to them. Far from that, though, the new characteristics that the musician grafts in are the ones that created an album so distinct, so special and so personal that only Kip himself can repeat. This is an album full of lyricism and melody, experimentation and study, self awareness and introspection. An album full of private sentiments that evolve into feelings, free to be shared among the listeners through tracks deep in meanings and senses, in between private moments all of the above rarely met in rock creations. This is where Kip’s distinctiveness lies.

Kicking off with an exquisite, eastern oriented melody (Every Story Told), stepping for a moment into his Winger memories to finally create a composition that Steve Lukather would be envious of (Nothing) and adoring the Beatles through a wonderful ballad that we will all hum for months to come (Where Will You Go), he opens up a door to this musical journey. Toying with ours and his senses, depositing a unique trilogy that pushes lyricism into another dimension. Pages and Pages, an ethereal, heaven-sent inspiration with an amazing outro that links to the following Ghosts which brings a new aspect of what can be included in a rock album (written for an orchestra of strings with piano and harp). In Your Eyes Another Life, inspired by his special relationship with his wife Paula, a track with a totalitarian spiritual lucidity, so personal… With the remaining tracks bonding into a delightful total, more or less staying true to the same motif, orchestrated masterfully, the album concludes with the excellent Monster (out of the TCSLAD album) in an alternative mix.

A truly inspired, blessed album, consciously targeted to the fans of real good music and not targeted to the absolute sales numbers, this latest Kip Winger’s work is , by far, his best so far. And if Kip decides, once more, to leave his hair Metal days behind, he does so because he feels the artistic urge to do so. He blends his influences, his feelings and his life experiences and creates a masterpiece that will carry all the stuff great musicians are made off. Most probably, he will witness medium sales and he will see this album reaching the hands of a selected conscious few or maybe even some curious ones. However, believe me, this will make him more than happy.

On May the 9th, take a stroll through the aisles of your local record shop, buy this album and feel gracious, for Kip allows us to hop on his marvelous trip to the Sun.

Alex Politis



From RockReport.de
Note: this is a guest review from Steven "darkblue" Reid

Well, I've had the album for a couple of days now and even though my hopes and expectations were sky high, they have been exceeded. All of Kip's solo albums are phenomenal, and “From The Moon To The Sun” is no exception. The majority of the tracks have a similar feel to the last album “Songs From The Ocean Floor”, maintaining Kip's awesome melodies, whilst also challenging the listener as he takes you through a mixture of styles and cultures.

Opener “Every Story Told” sets the album up brilliantly with great, strong melodies and superbly produced vocals. As with most of the chorus's on the album, its sound is just huge, and played at volume, it feels massive. Other songs such as “Nothing” or “Pages And Pages” also have chorus's to lose yourself in. There are also songs like “California” and “Why”, which feel more like Kip's acoustic releases: very lyric driven and understated.
Throughout the album the level of musicianship is outstanding, with all the usual suspects: Kip (obviously), Andy Timmons, Ken Rose, Alan Pasqua, Ken Mary and Rod Morgenstein not only playing superbly, but always sounding like they really believe in the music. Special mention goes to Cenk Eroglu, who plays and programs a multitude of instruments across the whole album. His and Kip's production is absolutely spot on. Sonically this album is up there with the best. And let’s not forget that Eroglu also co-wrote some of the tracks.
As always with anything that Kip Winger does these days, there are plenty of curve balls thrown in there and he constantly challenges you to pay attention and keep up with what is going on, whether it's a middle eastern chant, a sax break or an off kilter piano chord. “What We Are” comes on like the Beatles circa “The Magical Mystery Tour”, or “The White Album”, even having ‘string’ breaks and offers a more upbeat feel than most of the album. The track that most people here (and elsewhere) will have most issue with though is “Ghosts”. Kip described it as starting out as an exercise he was given whilst studying music. What is has ended as is a haunting (hence the title?) film score like, dark and stark piece of music, and the only song which is is devoid of strong melody for long passages. It is violin and piano led - and as I've read elsewhere - could easily have been written for film noire. I have had to persevere with the song to find its merits, and after deciding to listen to it in isolation from the rest of the album, I love it. Be warned though, it's not even vaguely rock music, and maybe doesn't belong on the album, or should have been a bonus track. And speaking of bonus tracks, we get a fantastic remix of “Monster” from Kip's debut solo album “Thisconversionseemslikeadream”, and whilst not quite bettering the original, it is a nice alternative to it.

“From The Moon To The Sun” will not excite everyone here, and in fact I'm sure some will be thoroughly ‘lost’ by its appeal to me. However if you like music with lush melodies, thoughtful heartfelt lyrics, challenging intricate passages and awesome vocals, then you won't hear a better album this year or maybe longer. Album of the year? At this stage no doubt whatsoever! Simply stunning!



http://metal-guide.blogspot.com/2008/06/kip-winger-from-moon-to-sun.html

This is the new solo album of Kip WInger, but if you are not familiar with his previous solo releases, don't expect something familiar with the work of Winger back in the early 90's. Laid back and melodic, with music complex but easy to comprehend, music for more relaxed times, but music that is always well worked and refined to the last minute. From prog moments, to melodic acoustic times, the artist blends all his previous influences, into an album that's hard to categorize, but there's no need to do so. What's more mind-challenging, is the ability of the music, to implement various elements, and keep the interest of the listener high. Either this is an instrumental song, a piano part, a Middle East melody, or some violins and pianos along in a more classic music approach. Diversity finds a whole new meaning here, but all this is done fluently, and not for the sake of complexity. Maybe an album that many metalheads will pass by, but yet an album that will make you think, and evolve along with each listening. Maybe after the last note, a standing ovation would be the most appropriate thing to do.
9/10



http://www.melodic.net/reviewsOne.asp?revnr=6693

Kip Winger is more than just a musician or a songwriter, he's an artist - there's more to his music than a simple melody or a few words that sound good.
There's thought behind every chord, arrangement and word - he's like a modern classical composer but in the genre of progressive rock.
If I close my eyes and listen to these songs, it's like watching a movie - there are so many pictures floating by in my head while listening to "From the moon to the sun".

With this in my mind, I also believe that Kip is easily a misunderstood artist where some people might expect the MTV hits his band had in the early 90's.
Nothing could be more wrong, why should Kip stand on the same spot writing "Can't get enuff" for the 50th time?
He wants to develop as a musician and therefor has taken a step into new territories soundwise like a fresh breeze of the orient as well as classical pieces.
The new solo album is a new chapter in Kip's career, it sounds a bit different than the previous 2 albums but also in the same time a bit like them.
There are plenty of surprises along the way on this 1 hour long album, I get new favorites all the time.

A masterpiece if you ask me.

http://www.hardrockhouse.com/NewReleases/KipWinger.htm

Kip Winger, like him or loath him, is one very talented individual and with this, his third solo and the first since Songs From The Ocean Floor back in 2001, that talent is obvious for all to hear. Anybody however expecting the huge choruses and the chant along nature of the albums from the band Winger will be equally as surprised if they are coming to Kip’s solo work for the first time. And I quote from an with Kip from last year….
Both 'This Conversation' and its follow up 'Songs From The Ocean Floor' were real departures from the Winger sound, was this deliberate or just Kip Winger showing his own style?

KW - My personal musical journey is much different then the band experience. My personal goals are to push the limits of my musical knowledge and abilities. I hate to repeat myself, there is no art in that. I have a world of sound images in my soul and they can’t be limited to one style of music.... If I forgo the commerce of it all, I can be true and pure to the soul of music within me, which in my case isn't very normal. For better of for worse my brain works like a Classical composer, I'm not much of a jammer. I actually write out much of what I'm doing on paper. The ideas tell me what they want to be, I'll work an idea until it sits perfectly in my chest...then I'll know I've brought it all the way it wants to come.
Well very much true to the ethos of that conversation From The Moon To The Sun sees Winger (the man) varying his output on the new album from the classical (Ghosts) to his take on material that originally appeared on the excellent Xcarnation album. As a body of work From The Moon To The Sun is simply a collection of excellent music, not rock, not pop just good music.
I’ve played the album constantly since the promo arrived and it grows on the listener more with each and every play, the whole album is worth listening to repeatedly to catch all of the subtleties and nuances Winger has imbibed the songs with. Overall the whole album has a slight Beatles feel to it, but in a good way, a feel that works particularly well on the acoustic driven Runaway, but singling one song out from such an excellent collection is perhaps unfair. Much fairer to say that From The Moon To The Sun is Winger’s best solo album to date.



From CDInzane
KIP WINGER - "FROM THE MOON TO THE SUN +1 (2008)"
KILLER KILLER KILLER MELODIC NEW RELEASE FROM THE WINGER FRONT-MAN!!! WITH EVERY RELEASE KIP PUTS OUT, THERE IS JUST NOTHING MORE PLEASING THEN THE FLOW HE CREATES IN HIS WRITTINGS!!!
 

From PTRiff
Kip Winger
FROM THE MOON TO THE SUN
Frontiers Records

Reb Beach told me recently that Kip Winger's best asset these days was his ability to compose rather than simply write, and never has that been more true than on FROM THE MOON TO THE SUN.

The fact of the matter is that this album, while a stark contrast from what people are expecting, might just be the most brillant album that Kip Winger has ever appeared on. It's bound to be smashed by rock journalists that can't see beyond the MTV videos of 20 years ago, but that doesn't stop this from being the best musical and lyrical experience of Kip's recorded career. Songs like "Pages And Pages" sound like what you might get if storyteller Harry Chapin had done a righting session with Bruce Springsteen around the same time he was writing "Meeting Across The River" from BORN TO RUN. Other songs, like "Ghosts" sound more like something you would hear as the backdrop of a play in an old Italian village than anything you've ever known Kip for in the past. "In Your Eyes Another Life" again sounds more like something out of a rock opera than a contemporary album, but it works as well.

While a lot of this material is very different for Winger, there are a couple of songs that are somewhat cut from the old vein. Songs like the album opener "Every Story Told" features more traditional rock elements and harken back to songs like Winger's "The Rainbow And The Rose".

For his part, Kip Winger sounds great on this album. His voice sounds the same as it ever did. Even after all these years, Winger knows when to put a touch of snarl on his otherwise clean vocals. He certainly does it well here. Songs like "Nothing" open with a lot of weird Arab nonsense to set the mood, but quickly turn back into a more traditional Winger presentation. This song also features some pretty ambitious use of double speak in it's comparisons, which does make you think about what's being said here.

PTRIFF RATING - 8/10 - This is a damn good album.......The writing and the orchestration of this material is unlike anything you've heard in a long time.


From Get Ready To Rock
KIP WINGER From The Moon To The Sun Frontiers (2008)
Kip Winger is a legend in the melodic rock scene and despite his busy commitments to a reunited Winger, the man has found time to make a new solo album - his first since 2000's 'Songs From The Ocean Floor.'
'From The Moon To The Sun' is what we've come to expect from such a great talent. Perhaps it's too mid-paced-songs-and-ballads for many rock fans but the heavier tunes are instantly catchy.
The opening track 'Every Story Told' is a wonderful acoustic led ballad. Winger's voice is still a joy to listen too and only proves that he is one of the scene's best singers. The production is top class and perfectly enhances the enjoyable melodies that are on offer here.

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