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| Steve Hackett - To Watch The Storms |
 Released: 2003 Label: SPV / InsideOut Music Cat. No.: SPVCD 65732 Total Time: | |
Reviewed by: Marcel Haster, July 2003 Steve Hackett has had an impressive career that spans almost three and a half decades and spanning genres such as rock, folk, jazz and even classical music. His discography starts with his appearance on the Nursery Cryme album by Genesis (1975) and he played on 6 further Genesis albums, after which he began his solo career that has provided his fans with many releases. His last studio album, Darktown, was released in 1999 and now, some 4 years later, he surprises us with the very diverse To Watch The Storms, which the accompanying press release describes as "a lavish work full of experiments, enthusiastic playing and joy of life as well as a revelation of new details with every listening." After the first spin of To Watch The Storms, I can tell you this is not a boring album at all! On the contrary, there are almost as many styles as there are songs and these form an interesting contrast, in the way that some are very quiet, acoustic songs and others are heavy, electronic, with cacophonic elements. Nothing predictable and this makes listing to this album something like going on an expedition to uncharted lands. A few songs are noteworthy here, like "Circus Of Becoming," with a charming merry-go-round tune in it, as well as a great heavy guitar riff supported by powerful drums. And what about the weird "The Devil Is An Englishman," a heavy electronic sounding song with dark, half spoken lyrics, which was originally written by electronic freak Thomas Dolby as the score of a bizarre horror comedy, Gothic. In absolute contrast to this, we find the classic sounding "Wind, Sand And Stars." A very powerful song is "Mechanical Bride," with a sound we heard also in King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man." The beautiful "Serpentine Song," with his brother John on flute, is dedicated to his father, who is an artist and with whom Steve Hackett shares many great memories. Of course there is much more to say of To Watch The Storms, as not a single song is the same or even close to sounding alike to other songs on the album. Hackett is a true virtuoso on the guitar, but also a good singer with a pleasant sounding voice. Many instruments have been used in the songs and this has resulted in a very innovative and progressive album, which holds many surprises and musical discoveries and I can only invite you to go and explore this musical landscape Steve Hackett has given us. Let the music be your guide on this journey. PPO Rating: 8/10 [This review originally appeared at the ProgPower Online review site; Keith's, Eric's, Bobo's and Steph's -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 / Serpentine Song (6:56) Musicians: Contact: Website: www.stevehackett.com Discography
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