10.000 DAYS

I couldn't wait to get to this album after having let the new release settle in my ears. Despite having a new vocalist, the Human Condition brought back fond memories of LPs like Heads or Tales. So coming back to this one, I feel I should probably have done the opposite and listened to this one first. Not that 10,000 Days suffers in comparison. Rather , 10 000 Days sounds like a group that is secure in its' place in the music world. A group that was consistently delivering the goods during its 3rd decade. And Trust had seen them deliver a fan fave here at PA.

Lifeline & Book Of Lies start things off well, with Lifeline coming across as an updated "Wind Him Up", and the latter song like How Long played sideways. The boys sure haven't lost anything, although Michael Sadler singing is less theatrical, more straightforward rock , than I remembered.

Sideways, Sound Advice & It Never Ends burrowed themselves into my brain, as I am still racking my memory to find where I've heard the chorus' melodies before. So far, all I can say is that it may just be that they are what any great rock or pop song strives to be - the hook that draws you in, that seals the deal on enjoying the song. Is Sideways a Signals Era Rush gone pop tune ? Could Sound Advice be the bastard offspring of Journey & the Police ? Would It Never Ends have kept classic Styx fans happy if the group had stuck to this sound past Grand Illusion ? Or . are we just hearing the ball of musical magic that Saga can be at its' best ?

Corkentellis is an instrumental. Saga does these well. Their Neo side is on display here, with both Ian Crichton & Jim Gilmour showing just what a guitar & keyboard whiz can put together as a team .

Can't You See Me Now is the type of song that had it come out on either Behaviour or Wildest Dreams, it might have kept the proggier Saga fans happy with the poppier direction that the group had headed to.

The centrepiece, for me, is More Than I Deserve. Imagine the best of Freddie Mercury's latter day ballads in Queen. This one matches them .

All in all, a very fine album. Well deserving of a listen by those prog fans with a penchant for pop or Neo. And for those like me, who had given up on the group way back after Heads or Tales . a revelation , and a motivation to delve into their work since 1983.

I can't give it a 4, and a 3 would just diminish the current rating or 3.58. But 3.5 is not an option. AND of course, if you've read the review, you now know what I think of the album. I.E. no disappointment.