FISH OUT OF WATER

As my favorite member of Yes, picking up this album was a no-brainer; however, at the time I wasn't prepared for the direction Squire decided to take with his solo-effort. I was hoping for a showcase of his aggressive riffing and creative fretwork, but found instead a set of finely crafted compositions showcasing Squire's skills as a songwriter and band leader.

The album opens with the catchy "Hold Out Your Hand", which is a sort of '70's light-prog. The prevelance of organ and the orchestra in the background fit right into the prog sound of the time, but Chris' fat bass sound and exhuberant lyrics make it a very approachable piece of music. Squire's bass is at the forefront, clearly providing the momentum and foundation for the numerous organ and symphony interplay, but is a far cry from his amazing playing in Yes; it sounds like he's playing it safe.

The grand composition "Silently Falling" is the easy standout track, with variety, intensity, and excellent integration of symphony. While simplistic, Squire's bass is still a lot of fun to listen to. His singing feels quite polished as well. The groovy "Lucky Seven" is also fun, giving me images of a '70's cop show as Squire cleans up the mean streets of Chicago. The closer, "Safe", is a big let-down though, being 14 minutes of symphonic repetition desperately in need of judiscious editing and direction.

For those wondering how Fish Out of Water compares to the key Yes works, I feel compelled to say that it falls very short; although, this album is as good or better than everything Yes put out after "Going for the One". Fish Out of Water feels like a cross between Time and a Word and Yes Allbum, though with a more approachable sound.

While a worthy album in itself, Fish Out of Water mostly made me want to listen to Yes-- which says that in that band's case, the sum is definitely greater than it's parts.

Songwriting: 4 Instrumental Performances: 3 Lyrics/Vocals: 3 Style/Emotion/Replay: 3