... Has the makings of a classic secret

It's amazing, or perhaps significant that an album is like this enjoyed and appreciated only by a marginal audience. Actually, it contains everything that makes a pop classics of world renown: brilliant songwriting, first-class production, musician of the highest order to inspiration, emotion and passion.
I also believe that it would have arrived at a different time in the charts and been regarded as a standard work at a time when the music market was more permeable, such music would have had airplay and had been touted the record dealer of trust. Those days are gone, whining will not help; it is rather a good thing that there are still such music.
It is here not even to difficult niche music, but accessible, melodic song material, with high quality, but not complicated lyrics. Bowness singing can to please, maybe even beguile. Some of these songs could be hits, ignite right away and get stuck, as the opener The Warm-Up Man Forever: and how awesome is the entry with Mastelettos uptempo drumming that provides for worn, quiet singing a wonderful contrast. Such compositional finesse can be found in abundance here, as well as the symphonic outburst at the end of Smiler at 50, choir bays and these constant conscious delays between the notes that make up a tremendous tension.
The album is calm, it is not cool and bold. Bowness acting cautious and moderate, one believes also hear what was omitted. Presented this apparent modesty, to make the album unvermarktbar? I very much hope that it still finds its listeners.
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