CIRCLES IN TIME

Another excellent release from John Holden, just shortly after his great second album Rise and Fall. Musically he goes a few steps further in the six songs that form the album. The musical styles range from quite heavy prog (Avalanche, quite a strong opener), laid-back jazziness (The high line, very Steely- Dan like with an great 'Í'm living in the big city but seek some quietness and comfort'-feel), sheer beauty of Celtic folk (the unbelievable ballad The secret of Chapel Hill, what a song!) through to traditional Andalusian foklore (the instrumental Dreams of Cadiz) and a honest, open and personal song about despair and hope (Circles). The epic is based on the true but sad story of the real discovery of the worldfamous sarcofage of Egypts best-known pharaoh, Tuth-Ank-Amon. Inthat epic Holden takes the listener again through many different moods in a flowing, ever-changing song that is captivating and beautiful. Add to this a really beautiful booklet that is complete and very informative on the inspiration of all the songs and you'll come to the conclusion that John Holden is a more than welcome addition to the prog world. That he is supported by some very fine musicians like Vikram Shankar, Nick D'Virgilio, Michel St. Pere, Frank Van Essen and Oliver Wakeman and has some of the finest vocalists such as Sally Minnear, Marc Atkinson and That Joe Payne has certainlky helped to make this a stand-out album for everyone who likes real melodies and a varied yet consistent diet of musical styles. No doubt this is a five star.