ACOUSTIC STRAWBS: BAROQUE & ROLL

On second thought... I, like many, was disappointed when I first heard this album. What? No new material? No bass or drums? No keyboards? This is a new recording by one of the greatest prog groups ever. Are you kidding? Well, after a few years of second listens (after hearing Painted Sky without all the preconceived baggage) all I can say is that this album is an under appreciated jewel. The low key and, no doubt, low cost production adds a warm homemade vibe to this recording and Dave Cousins is still in relatively good voice at this stage. The guitar interplay between Dave Lambert and Brian Willobougby is stellar despite a couple of awkward moments. Indeed, there is even a croaked vocal by Cousins and an obvious flubbed lyric from Lambert that were no doubt deliberately left uncorrected. An inside joke, perhaps, that makes the album all the more endearing to me. It's also fascinating to hear all three guitarists recreate all the keyboards and orchestrations of the songs almost to the point that they are not even missed. If you liked Deja Fou and Painted Sky, but found this album lacking the first time around, please give it a second chance in order to appreciate it for what is and not what we thought it was supposed to be.