good old prog !!!

For his second solo album Martin Orford invited the cream of prog Anglo / Saxon list is too long to list here and grèverai seriously brilliant analytical mind which my columns have accustomed you. A critical piece by piece seems to me as laborious as the content is rich.
"It is not a progressive rock album" us he announces at the outset in his note to the listener. There I reassure you immediately what transpires disk progressive rock with all his notes! The prog in the royal line of descent Genesis "big time" with passages that can evoke records like "Foxtrot", "Selling ...", "The lamb ..." "Duke" and so on. .... No wonder the part of the former keyboardist of IQ, a group that I think is the musical heir worthy of the Genesis there.
"Surely, you will hear a lot of what made the hallmark of the golden age of prog, but the goal of this record is not to push the boundaries of music ....". objective achieved: no epic tracks (10 minutes max), no brainer, it is effective in the prog, very very very melodic and varied sounds and rhythms with romantic passages and typical flights of this kind musical. ".... Songs with tunes you can whistle ...". True, each piece is well differentiated and after a few plays many passages are easily stored. It is rather on the slope Knight Area prog as the TFK slope. "... Played with incredible musicians at the top of their game ...". True too, everyone gives their caeur to work with a particular mention for the extraordinary John Mitchell who sends us many (but not too long) solos hyperstratophériques.
Orford presents its disk as deliberately anachronistic yet it is not an old road that smells of dust, the sound is very modern but again in a big prog tradition. The sumptuous master keyboards are omnipresent but never intrusive, and it also gives the guitar and vocals. A voice quite pleasant indeed. I would say the two best pieces are those in which he sings and he plays the guitar ("Grand Design" and "The old road").
So can we just blame him for not having appropriate both parts more often and stay wisely cautious (Phronésis looked Aristotle buddy). Especially as the other singers present -except masterful Wetton- have curiously close tones of voice to that of Orford. That said do not spit on the pudding, the spirit of the disc is wanted
"Friendly and familiar" with pals then, and having said that I would see evil Wetton else could have sung "Take it to the sun," the grand cru Asia.
A reference to the words on which it is worth stopping as "The Old Road", a manifesto against modernism and its culture of speed or "Out in the darkness," a charge against the proselytes religions (with a more than suggestive picture in support) and many other things (only 2 instrumentals 9).
This is a very good surprise of England, a record that hangs from the very first listening, we sometimes find wise, but never boring and bad taste, which comes miraculously on the board.
Enjoy without moderation as cookies tea time !!!