THE SINGLE FACTOR

The most commercial album by Camel and rightly so quite a disappointment for traditional progressive rock Camel fans. Latimer opened up to contemporary pop and mixed some progressive elements in it. Call it radio-friendly but it's not a shameful sell-out. From a pop/rock perspective, there are great moments here, especially for more introspective-oriented listeners. Singing goes best when it's not Latimer but another guest vocalist. Keyboards on some tracks are surprisingly retro Hammond whereas we hear introspective synths a la Genesis, listen to "Heroes".

Apart from the instrumental tracks, the ballads are another standout, the poignant "Heroes" that reminds of Alan Parsons Project just with a more traditional instrumentation. Of the two normal instrumental tracks, "Sasquatch" is the closest to a previous era Camel led by decent guitar.

The second half of the album is less inspired but without a hook or two and the emotional end by "A heart's desire" and "End peace" are pleasing.

Overall, this album cannot be recommended as a standout to neither pop/rock nor prog fans.