The Tea Party"s 1993 debut, Splendor Solis, may not be marked by the Eastern influences that would characterize later releases, but it"s no less ambitious. Combining a plethora of styles and sounds, from folk and rock to blues, into one heady--and heavy--sound, the Tea Party don"t so much write songs as craft mini-epics to showcase their sprawling repertoire of global instruments. Add vocalist-guitarist Jeff Martin"s rumbling baritone and somewhat hippy-dippy lyrics, and Splendor Solis is at once a throwback to the "60s and a tip-off to the trio"s future as one of Canada"s most adventurous rock bands. --Adem Tepedelen