ALONE

Coming from the Polish band that put emotion and melody back into progressive rock in the early to mid 1990s, Collage, it is not surprising that Gil has made a contribution to the cause of emo-prog with his one solo album. What is surprising is how much this recording sounds like the Mirek Gil band, not a solo effort, belying its very title. If it is indeed possible, "Alone" is even more accessible than Collage, containing mostly shorter songs that verge on atmospheric prog-lite, but fully supported, especially Gil's ever present Hacketssian guitars and Krzysiek Palczewski on keyboards. I am not sure who the vocalist is on most tracks, as Gil and Olaf £apczyñski are both credited, but suffice to say they come close to the expressing the depth of feeling of Collage's Robert Amirian, but in a dreamier more understated way.

The best is first, with "Strange" being a delightful mini-epic with Gil's succinct guitar work, and the rest is almost all very good or better, with particular highlights being "Wake Up", "Beggar", the instrumental "Mother Dream", and "New Day", featuring as they do superb production and dedication to the "song", while bursting with symphonic prog instrumentation. The effect sets the hairs on the neck standing at attention and the hand reaching for a tissue. "Enough" sits out like a sore thumb, a failed bombastic epic surrounded by quality shorter tunes.

If you want to see the direction that some of the neo prog masters might have taken, do not leave Mr Gil alone.