Fernando Perdomo: "Cloud 9" (2026) CD Review

For the ninth volume of Fernando Perdomo's Clouds series, he's giving us something a little different. Before you even take the disc out of its case, you'll notice a change, and that's the title. Instead of Clouds 9, as you'd expect the title to be, in keeping with the titles of the previous eight entries in the series, it is Cloud 9. For how could he pass up the chance to call it that? And when you look at the back of the CD case, you'll see that the tracks (or most of them) were recorded live, also a departure from all the earlier volumes. You'll also see that one track has a co-writer, which has not been the case with any of the tracks from the other volumes. Up until now, all the material was written and performed by Fernando Perdomo solo. This one track was not only co-written by another artist, but is performed with him. This is also the first volume to contain fewer than ten tracks. So, quite a few differences.

On August 2nd of this year, Fernando Perdomo performed a special concert at Kulak's Woodshed in North Hollywood, recording the show for release as Cloud 9. At the time, I wondered how much of the show would end up on the CD, because the show was approximately two hours, and a good chunk of it featured guest guitarist Steve Caton joining him. Well, none of the Steve Caton material is included here (perhaps it will end up on a future release). Still, the album contains more than fifty minutes of music. It opens with its title track, immediately taking us to a beautiful place. I love music that is able to transport me in some way, and this track does so straight away. And once we are in this other land, Fernando begins to explore it, to fill it with color. It is welcoming, soothing. And then there is a delightful moment when his guitar dances upon that landscape, like a sprite. After that, the piece begins to build in power, and then lifts us to yet a different realm just before the end. Or before pausing, as the case may be. At the show, this seemed to be the end of the piece, and you can hear applause in that moment. But the next piece is included on this same track, all under the title "Cloud 9," which is interesting. And it is here that we get into stranger places, and are able to experience more details of this landscape. Like we are now closer to the source, and are able to get glimpses of the inner parts and their motion, immersing ourselves in the music, in the experience. As it swells and grows, it feels like it is all around us. The applause is cut from the end of the track, and from most of the rest of the tracks too. So though the album was recorded in front of an audience, we can, for the most part, forget about that while listening. The audience's presence does not intrude on our own personal experience of the music.

There is a hypnotic effect at the beginning of "Transporter," as the music takes hold. The different layers to the music help create that effect. We trust the music will take us safely into whatever territory lies ahead. And perhaps the movement is within us anyway. There is something soothing here, though it is a full sound, and a vibrant sound. In the second half, there is a different intensity, and it is then we feel there are others around us. We are not alone on this journey, even if we at one point felt it was an inward adventure. Streaks of bright sunlight break in. That's followed by "St. Peter's Gate." As it starts, ethereal voices like great fingers reach down, playing upon our reality, pressing against our atmosphere. Then something grows from beneath, from within. There are brief playful touches, like some other creature is nearby making tiny adjustments on our reality. Then we settle into a relaxing, welcoming place, where everything feels right. In the second half, there are little changes, like someone is again fiddling with our reality, an interesting effect. Then a more drastic change occurs, and we are removed from that gentle cradling we felt and brought to a place with sharper edges, before being soothed once again.

"What Is A Cloud" is the track that was co-written by Bradley Bobbs, who joins Fernando on vocals here, delivering the piece as spoken word. This is a great departure from the other tracks on these volumes, not just having someone join him, but containing lyrics. Fernando's playing still has a soothing aspect, but this track is a bit jarring at first because of the vocals and the way they are delivered. It is a sort of science lesson about clouds. There is some humor, and the track contains references to Winnie The Pooh, Superman and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. This is also a track when we become aware of the audience, as laughter is audible at times, and there is applause at the end. Fernando delivers some interesting, kind of trippy stuff on guitar. This track is the longest on the album, at more than twelve minutes. It ends with a reference to Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now."

"The Weather Station" begins with messages sent from the cosmos. Or perhaps sent out to them. Soon those messages begin to melt, to change, to warp, to slip out of our realm, though only for a short time. Then we are back where we were, but our grasp on reality is perhaps a bit more tenuous now, for we know that things can change at any moment. And soon they do. Electronic voices, electronic footsteps, like the universe is one great and vast machine, pulses riding its wires from one end to another. And we are small, lost somewhere within its intestines. This track takes us on the album's most interesting journey, and is one of my personal favorites. Then with "God," we are in a brighter place, but with heavier rumblings beneath. Sounds are coming at us from above and below, but there are still places to breathe, to take a look at our surroundings. A thunder rolls about, gathering energy. There is a sense of excitement, as we are taken to those deeper places, places previously hidden from our sight. There is no turning back now, as we push through another barrier and find ourselves in a wilder space, where the air is heavy enough and sharp enough to bruise us if we're not careful. This is another of the album's best tracks.

At the concert, that was the point when Steve Caton joined Fernando Perdomo on stage. The album could have ended there, and certainly no one would have objected. Those first six tracks add up to approximately forty-seven minutes of music, more than enough to qualify as a full-length album. But Fernando does something else unexpected. He adds two more short tracks, listed as bonus tracks on the CD case. These are studio recordings. The first is "Head In The Clouds," soon taking us to a rather pretty place, a place where we have no obligations, where we are free to float, to turn inward or outward as the mood strikes us. Then in the second half, as the track is nearing its conclusion, it seems to collect all its thoughts in a more focused way, pulling us all in. The album concludes with "Keith's Song," which has a different sound and vibe, delivered on acoustic guitar. There is a sweet beauty to this one, and it will likely leave you feeling good. This track is dedicated to the memory of Keith Boundy.

CD Track List

1. Cloud 9
2. Transporter
3. St. Peter's Gate
4. What Is A Cloud
5. The Weather Station
6. God
7. Head In The Clouds
8. Keith's Song

Cloud 9 was released on September 1, 2026.