Dream Theater vocalist James Labrie has assembled several accomplished musicians to join him in his "solo" effort. Matt Guillory plays keys, Mike Mangini (Extreme, Steve Vai) handles the drums, Bryan Beller (Steve Vai) plays bass, and the brilliant Mike Keneally (Frank Zappa, Steve Vai) plays guitar. I spoke with Keneally and Mangini after a recent, very intense Steve Vai show at the House of Blues. They told me that the band was never in the studio together at one time. They communicated via e-mail and telephone and passed the tapes along 'til the project was completed. Once it was all in the can, Terry Brown (Rush's man behind the soundboard) made sure that it all sounded as if they were in the same studio at the same time (no easy task), and he really did an incredible job, considering how the individual parts were recorded in different studios with different sound levels and recording methods. The songs themselves are varied in terms of lyrical subject matter and instrumental feel. Under Labrie's powerful vocals, the musicians play flawlessly, complementing each other with consummate expertise. They sound very sonically "together," even though geographically, they were not. The subjects of the songs include abuse ("His Voice"), deception ("Shores of Avalon"), confused sexuality ("Lace"), and even President Clinton ("Beelzebubba"). Throughout, Labrie delivers passion, subtlety, and raw power. The most vocally involved piece is the last one, "As a Man Thinks." Multi-layered harmonies flow over and under each other to an accompaniment that is by turns funky and, strangely enough, hymn-like. Dream Theater fans will love Keep It To Yourself, and rightfully so. Now, if only I could learn how to produce a disc via e-mail...