REFLECTION

After the somewhat stiff and stodgy trad. British folk song outing of the band's last album Cruel Sister, the Pentangle loosened up with this follow up album that's chock full of upbeat American folk tunes in songs like "Wedding Dress", "Omie Wise", "Rain And Snow" and "Will The Circle Be Unbroken", where Jacqui McShee's glorious voice was put to go use. Both Bert Jansch and John Renbourn are again top notch in their guitar interplay, with Renbourn forsaking his acoustic guitar for a clear toned electric, so they effect is not earth shattering. The rhythm section of double bassist Danny Thompson and drummer Terry Cox are still creating interesting beats. But there's not one really outstanding song on this set. Even the mini epic title track seems to drag on. Only Renbourn's reflective and mournful "So Clear" is really noteworthy, but that song is easily upstaged by an alternate take featuring fuzzed electric guitar and a heavy more traditional rock beat, as found on the box set compilation titled "Pentangle: The Albums" released in 2019.

With well documented band tensions, and a new but only partly functional recording studio to further their tensions, I'm afraid that the band is really going through the motions on this outing. It's only due to the group's incredible musicianship and professionalism that this album is as good as it is, but's it's a long way off from the excellence of band's heyday when releasing albums like Sweet Child and Basket Of Light just a few years earlier. 3 stars as this album is for diehard fans only.