STRICTLY INC.

For me, the best rock keyboardist ever, Tony Banks fits in a perfect way the composer side with the virtuous performer side, as any other rock keyboardist can`t do. The problem is that in general terms, he needs someone else who takes his creations to a high level. Seems to be that he lacks about how to arrange tracks and about the production job. That's why, in my opinion, being him the driving force behind Genesis, he never could reach the same success on his solo career. His solo tracks might need the support of a Hackett or a Collins, both too great arrangers (For me Hackett is not a good songwriter, and Collins is a good pop songwriter). So, the Banks grandiose appears just sometimes in his solo works, generally through some tracks mostly than albums. For me his only masterpiece, in albums terms, is A Courious Feeling. But here, in Strictly Inc., he puts a monumental progressive track, in the same level than his greatest compositions of Genesis (as Firth of fifth, Cinema Show or One for the vine for example), and with a modern feel. Of course this song is An Island in the Darkness, a 17 minutes epic, full of piano instrumental parts, drum machines, guitar solos and a great melody line, great voice and great lyrics. It's just the song I`ve always wanted from Tony Banks. The rest of the album is rather good, dominated by atmospheric keyboards and great sound, but no more than this. So I give more than 5 stars to An Island in The Darkness, and 3 stars for the rest. The results is 4 stars for the album. If you are a progressive rocker and doesn't know this one, this track (An Island in the darkness) is enough to get into it.

Share this TONY BANKS review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to genbanks
• Report this review (#281476)
• Buy TONY BANKS music online with PA partners
• Show all TONY BANKS MP3/Stream
• Go to TONY BANKS page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Strictly Inc. page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for TONY BANKS related discussions