Kevin Gilbert-The Shaming of the True (2000)

This is one of the best progressive rock albums of the modern era. Everything about this album is absolutely perfect and brilliant, from the lyrics and vocals to the musicianship, the tight production, and the incredible melodies. Much like Pink Floyd's "The Wall", released almost two decades earlier, this is a concept album about the dramatic rise and fall of a rock star. This album represented multi-instrumentalist Kevin Gilbert's lifelong dream: to record a rock opera. Working closely with Nick D'Virgilio, Kevin dedicated himself wholeheartedly to this project. Unfortunately, he never got to see his dream realized. Kevin Gilbert died on May 17, 1996, from accidental asphyxiation, leaving the project unfinished. After his death, Jon Rubin and Nick D'Virgilio worked on the album for years, picking up where Kevin left off, and finished it with a vast array of collaborating musicians in late 1999. It was officially released in 2000. The album itself is a complete work, from the dissonant and haunting keyboard notes that open and close it. It features 14 flawless songs, most of them of a high compositional and instrumental standard, where there is room for introspection and serenity; "From There to Here", with its bitterness and sarcasm directed at the music industry; "Certifiable #1 Smash"; the charmingly conventional pop-rock of "Imagemaker" and "The Best Laid Plains"; the symphonic pop of "Water Under the Bridge"; and even a cappella pieces like "Suit Fugue (Dance of the A&R Men)".