The Tea Party - Splendor Solis (1993)

Toronto, Canada's the Tea Party sound like Jim Morrison singing for Led Zeppelin in their most exotic Middle Eastern moments. As evidenced on their 1993 debut album, Splendor Solis was a smash in Canada with sales of a million copies -- pretty impressive when one remembers that due to that country's small population -- platinum status is awarded at 250,000 units. First track "The River" sets the tone with its esoteric lyrics, Eastern-influenced guitar licks, and tribal drumming. After a beautiful acoustic guitar solo called "Winter Solstice," we arrive at the album's piece de resistance: "Save Me," which slowly builds, trance-like, for over six minutes. Overall, this is a fine, if slightly pretentious album. Perhaps the band could improve upon their formula with a follow-up.