PASSPARTÙ

I don't like this album as much as its precursor, "Jet Lag", but then again I'm seriously considering raising my rating for that album. Nor is it anything like the classic symphonic prog that PFM made their name with.

On "Passpartu" there is a much more Latin feel, more emphasis on acoustic instruments and straightforward songs structure. It's a very mellow and chilled and by no means unpleasant. "Se Fossi Cosa" and "Passpartu", "Su Una Mosca e Sui Dolci" are particularly noteworthy, melodic tracks. And as usual with the PFM the musicianship is of the highest quality. I'm particularly taken with Patrick Djivas's exclusive use of fretless bass.

Bernado Lanzetti sounds slightly under used and out of place here to me. I'm used to him really belting it out as he did on "Chocolate Kings", "Jet Lag" and more recently with MANGALA VALLIS. There's little opportunity for him to stretch his vocal chords here. Maybe that's why he left.

The dilemma in rating the album is really whether to judge it in purely prog terms. If I had bought it when it came out I would have been seriously put off. As it happens I stopped listening to PFM after "Jet Lag" and only started collecting their stuff again a couple of years ago, with this being my most recent purchase. This is not really a prog album and I certainly wouldn't recommend it as a starting point for anyone checking out PFM for the first time. However I have a deep and abiding affection for this band and I admire their willingness to take risks in changing their style from time to time.

I'd rate it somewhere between 2 and 3 stars, probably around 2.6. I've rounded it up to 3