RENAISSANCE ILLUSION: THROUGH THE FIRE

For those who love the music of Renassance, this may be an unknown treasure. This album was surely overlooked when it was released in 2001. But first.a history lesson : in 1971 the first carnation of Renaissance disbanded after the second album Illusion and was replaced by the line-up for which the band became famous for. In 1976 the original band reunited without Keith Relf who died tragically the previous year. The band was called "Illusion" just like the second Renaissance album. After delivering two excellent albums the band dissolved again. In 2001 the band was reformed a second time when Jim McCarthy found he had written some Renaissance like tunes that would fit in perfectly on an album of Illusion/Renaissance. Soon original Renaissance members Jane Relf, John Hawken & Louis Cennamo joined McCarthy on this project and also a lot of session musician were brought in. It may not be a coincidence that the opening track of this album is called "One more turn of the wheel". No only the title of the song is referring to Renaissance so are the mystical arrangements. With its hypnotic rhythm and dreamy vocal lines, this is easily the highlight of the album.

In the seventies Illusion proved to deliver more song orientated music than Renaissance, yet retaining the classical elements. The same kind of songs, you'll find on this album. Just listen to "Good heart" or "Glorious one" which are built around excellent melodies and seem to sound like they've been written in the late sixties. On a delicate track like "Blowing away" you can notice the piano parts are still as brilliant like they use to be. Another song worth mentioning is the reflective title track which has a lovely laid back atmosphere. Again, the piano parts & the chorus melodies are great. This proves the band is still worth of checking out by those who like the other Renaissance. When compared to Annie Haslam's Renaissance the sound of Illusion is more sober without the large scale orchestrations. Nevertheless the subtle arrangements are something to write of. I've always loved the voice of Jane Relf, too bad she's only doing some of the backing vocals. Occasionally her distinctive voice is coming to the fore. Without her voice dominating the vocals, the music is getting less romantic when compared to Illusions two previous efforts. All in all this flawless album is highly enjoyable although I wouldn't have mind more room for enlarged instrumental excerpts. In other words, the album guaranties a good listen but it's never breathtaking.

Silent meditation poses a problem for our constantly plugged in society, since it requires tuning out external stimuli and heeding one's inner voice for a change. One may not always like what one hears, but guided meditation and imagery can be an effective alternative that suffuses the yielding participant. Of course, as in any inward pursuit, that rare commodity of patience is essential, but the potential rewards are worth the sacrifice. Such is the case with this reunion, er- solo , ay - RENAISSANCE ILLUSION disk.

"Through the Fire" is essentially a JIM MCCARTY album consistent with his brilliant "Out of the Dark" (1991), meaning it amply retains the core values of the original RENAISSANCE albums and those of ILLUSION in the late 70s merged with his own tender idealism and spirituality. The main difference from his official solo albums is the presence of most of the contingent from those 70s bands as backing musicians. While JANE RELF sings backup, the main benefit of this reunion is in JOHN HAWKEN's mellifluous keyboards, chiefly piano. These elevate the effects of every song and impose a progressive footprint on what is otherwise a melodic soft rock album.

The most progressive piece here is the opener, the sprawling "Another Turn of the Wheel", which might be considered an alternate title, or at least theme track. Both "Good Heart" and "Glorious One" are solid uplifting songs with appealing blends of electric and acoustic guitars and McCarty's surprisingly mature and soothing self-taught vocals. "Mystery of Being" represents a cross fertilization with the more Native American sounding work of one of McCarty's other involvements, the band PILGRIM, which is recommended if you like the concept of BLACKMORE'S NIGHT but find you need lactaid pills to digest their kitsch. One of the biggest surprises is how much "Beat of the Earth" sounds like REM, even down to McCarty's MIchael Stipes impersonation, but musically as well. Not that there is absolutely anything wrong with that!

The consistency of McCarty's vision is beguiling, as he tenderly imparts every message in a manner that bears consistent rewards every time one listens, whether actively or passively, with headphones while drifting off to sleep, or perhaps with someone special. This is a man who has passed through the fire and come out stronger, and is generously sharing his experience to those of us who not only listen, but hear.

A wonderful little known album that should be in the possession of every fan of the Mach 1 Renaissance, and band Illusion, featuring Jane Relf as the female voice. This lineup also featured ex Yardbirds Keith Relf (Jane's brother) on guitar and vocals and Jim McCarty on drums and vocals. Filling out this early Renaissance line up was Louis Cennamo on bass and the great John Hawken on piano and keyboards.

All have returned in 2001, save the departed Keith Relf, to help Jim McCarty flesh out this wonderful material that has a deep Renaissance/Illusion spiritual vibe both musically and lyrically. McCarty is the sole songwriter and chief vocalist, with Jane singing warm emotive backing vocals. The star of this album is once again Hawken, who's seems to channel some of the late John Tout's regal touch and excels on piano on every track that features him. Even the two tracks that don't feature Hawkin showoff McCarty's growing skills as pianist, along with his drumming and percussion work on all but one track on this album. Cennamo demonstrates why the Mach 2 Annie Haslam fronted lineup had to be as good or better than the original. The depth of talent, even minus Keith Relf, is so staggering that it makes me wonder why the Mach 1 line up never hit it big in their short time as classical/symphonic proggers.

Guest players handle the mostly acoustic guitar parts admirably and the stand out songs are "One More Turn Of The Wheel" (which probably could have been the title track if it was not so similar sounding tho the Mach 2 group's album tilted Turn Of The Cards), "Good Heart", "Glorious One", "Mystery Of Being", and the album's title track "Through The Fire."

McCarty was an early songwriter for the Mach 2 Renaissance that followed him with songs like "Kiev", "On The Frontier" and "Bound For Infinity", so have no doubts that this album is a must have for fans of both Renaissance and Illusion. McCarty has crafted a fine album that elegantly bridges the gap between both of those groups, and ironically, produced the best Illusion album ever committed to vinyl. 5 stars for McCarty's masterpiece as it's truly the result of a labor of love on so many diverse levels.