 |
 |
|
| Steve Hackett - To Watch The Storms |
 Released: 2003 Label: SPV/InsideOut / InsideOut Music Cat. No.: SPV 085-65732/IOMCD 127 / IOMA 2058-2 Total Time: | |
Reviewed by: Stephanie Sollow, December 2003 To Watch The Storms is an adult album, though one doesn't have to be forty-something (or older) to appreciate it; one just has to have reached a certain level of emotional or intellectual maturity. Accepting of the fact that you are getting older, and, you hope, a little wiser. That is, if you are still struggling through your restlessness of youth – regardless of your chronological age – then you might find To Watch The Storms far too mellow and laidback. To Watch The Storms is adult in terms of being stately, but not stuffy (the quirky and dark "The Devil Is An Englishman" -- another example of Hackett's dry and droll British humour --; the tribal-march and middle-eastern motifs of "The Silk Road;" and the cheerful, happy, and danceable medieval-folk "Come Away" will dispel that); elegant but not haughty. Hackett isn't morose or gloomy – rather the music reflects someone who is happy and content, yet just a bit wistful. A sense of nostalgia permeates many of the album's tracks, resulting in something that is often delicate and subdued – perhaps no more so than on "Frozen Statues," a brief, somber, moody, late-night-in-hotel-lounge like piece that one could imagine a crooner like Frank Sinatra singing while in a particularly blue mood; or on "Wind, Sand and Stars," a solo acoustic guitar piece that soon becomes more classically influenced, with piano in the lead, backed by strings. The overall tone of the album is one of amused detachment. Not that Steve Hackett seems distant from the music itself, but that he is remarking upon things "over there," regardless of whether that "over there" is spatial or in time. "Strutton Ground," which opens the album, is a mellow piece that harks back to an earlier time, recalling both Camel and Hackett's The Voyage Of The Acolyte. That doesn't mean it sounds dated. One gets this same feeling from the wistful "This World" – a father seeing his daughter grown up and out on her own. "Frozen Statues" is followed up by the angular and dark "Mechanical Bride," a piece that would seem more in character with latter day King Crimson (at least to me) than Hackett. Here Hackett tears things up with jagged and acidic guitar bursts, soon leading the rest of the band into frenzied, industrial workout full of squeaks and rust and grit (so it's not all somber reflection). That band includes Roger King on piano, organ, synth, and vocoder; Rob Townsend on brass, woodwind, whistles and "one man Serpentine chorus marching band;" Terry Gregory on vocals, basses, pedals and "thunder;" and Gary O'Toole on vocals, acoustic and electronic drums, and "percussion with regular and ferocious beatings!" "Brand New" begins with acoustic guitar, as does the earlier "Wind, Sand And Stars," but becomes a much more lively, rocking piece that Hackett's playing a fiery solo that seems taken more from straight ahead rock than prog. "Rebecca" is mostly a lyrical and pastoral piece, though there is a section where percussion by way of electronic drums – and an excellent use of them, too – comes to the forefront. Hackett, of course, solos beautifully here again, in another piece that underscores the underlying mood of the album. The instrumental "The Moon Under Water" is a shimmery and liquid solo acoustic guitar piece with Hackett as wandering minstrel playing on the shores of gently rippling lake, the music and air warm and romantic, quite evocative of the imagery that the title suggests. "The Serpentine Song," featuring Hackett's brother John trilling beautifully on flute, is lovely pastoral song that wends its way around your ears, ending the album on a bright and warm note, even though the lyrics describe a rainy day (metaphor, of course). To Watch The Storms is an album that works its charms on you slowly; details emerging with each subsequent listen – as all good albums should do. It's an album that leaves you in a good place, peaceful and content… and maybe just a little bit wistful. Excellent. Rating: 5/5 [See also Keith's, Eric's, Bobo's and Marcel's reviews -ed.] More about To Watch The Storms: Track Listing: Strutton Ground (3:04) / Circus Of Becoming (3:48) / The Devil Is An Englishman (4:27) / Frozen Statues (2:58) / Mechanical Bride (6:40) / Wind, Sand And Stars (5:08) / Brand New (4:41) / This World (5:19) / Rebecca (4:20) / The Silk Road (5:25) / Come Away (3:13) / The Moon Under Water (2:14) / Serpentine Song (6:56) Musicians: Contact: Website: www.stevehackett.com Discography
| |
[Review Index] [Home] [Top]  © Copyright 2003 ProgressiveWorld.net |