BEAUTIFUL

German project YACOBS is the creative vehicle of composer and musician Ulf Jacobs, and in progressive rock circles he is probably best known for being a part of progressive rock band Argos for the past decade and a bit. This solo project has been an ongoing feature for a bit longer than that though, with the first Yacobs album seeing the light of day almost 20 years ago. "Beautiful" is the sixth album from this venture, and was released through German label Gold Und Tier in the fall of 2020.

While "Beautiful" isn't an album to seek out by those with an interest in stark contrasts and dramatic developments, those who regard the words elegant, smooth and beautiful to be positive and the mention of layered keyboards and various Mellotron-tinged sounds to emphasize that will find a lot to enjoy on Yacob's latest solo album. Especially if music that glides back and forth between mainstream pop/rock and the more inviting aspects of progressive rock is regarded as a positive. Personally I regard this as a solid - and beautiful - production.