IN THE LAND OF GREY AND PINK

In the Land of Grey Pink is a nice album, and at times it seems it is not much more than that. It's a great, fun, upbeat, optimistic album, full of light, jovial melodies, what may seem as trivial lyrics, and catchy acoustic guitar segments. Musically it strays from more intricate sections, to really proudly simple songs, to jazzy, drawn out jams. There's a healthy portion of each style, but if one were to be chosen as the herald of the album, it would undoubtedly be the naive, loving, simplistic rockers.

Not many albums can be so explicitly and proudly simple and trivial and still be excellent. But the way Caravan pulls it off is magnificent, throwing in the jazz allusions at key moments, and adding an unexpected complex arrangements just when the simplicity was about to grow tiresome. Serene guitar, occasional horn cameos, inspired and bright keyboard solos, and steady, but not boring drums occupy the forty minutes of music. The bonus tracks are excellent, as well, and any of the new songs would have fit perfectly anywhere on Grey and Pink. Production and sound quality on the re-master are exceptionally good, and the biography of the booklet is very comprehensive, and very detailed.

However, fans of prog metal, and Rush-like highly strung prog, whose patience wanes when tested by popular rock - even very good popular rock - must steer clear of this release. The constant sunshine that this album brings may turn people off, and the extended solos may seem without direction to some. The bright, bouncy atmosphere may not feel very interesting to some. But after many listens, and much consideration, it is clear this album is excellent.