A SONG FOR ALL SEASONS

Renaissance

Symphonic Prog

3.75 | 451 ratings

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octopus-4
Special Collaborator
RIO/Avant/Zeuhl,Neo & Post/Math Teams

It's sad to say, but this is the last album on which Renaissance have put some effort and one of the lasts with their best lineup helped in this occasion by the Royal Philarmonic Orchestra.

I think it's significant that their best album (in my opinion, of course) is the live at Carnegie Hall. The Renaissance's music is symphonic by definition and the orchestra fits very well in their music.

The first two tracks have the style of their great predecessors, but in some parts they seem to be reusing small parts of older songs, re-elaborating melodies and riffs already used. The music is excellent but not very "fresh". Not properly a crisis of creativity, just a symptom. Of the two, "Day Of The Dreamer" has spare weak moments. It's a high-level song even with them.

"Closer Than Yesterday" belongs to the "short melodics" like "The Captive Heart" or "Carpet of The Sun". The difference is only in the acoustic guitar instead of the piano behind Annie's voice. a non-essential track built on the same structure of Carpet of the Sun.

"Kindness" is the kind of tracks that we fans wanted from Renaissance. Jon Camp's high volume bass and the usually great "classical" piano of John Tout (a Fender piano this time). It was years since when a Renaissance song wasn't featuring Annie as lead vocalist. Jon Camp has a nice voice, but Annie is special. Apart of this big difference, this song sounds very similar to other songs. In terms of songwriting it's like they are a tribute band of themselves.

Another "remake" of Carpet of the Sun comes after. "Back Home Once Again" has in addition a poppy chorus that I really don't like. A harpsichord in the background is not enough. The rest of the song is not bad.

Jon Camp has similarities with Chris Squire also in the voice. He uses his highest pitch on "She Is Love" and he sounds like the Fish (Out of Water). Interesting but non essential as well.

Another poppy song in the vein of Carpet Of The Sun: "Northern Lights" is nice but it's like an excursion into the British glam in the era of Punk.

The title track is great symphonic prog. The track on which the orchestra is more present and the one closer to the hieghts of Song of Sheherazade even though not so high. In the end this is still a good album, but it's symptomatic of the bad changes that are going to come. Another "almost good" album will be released before the bad numbers represented by Camera Camera and Time Line. This last will mark the end of the band that will try to resurrect in the 90s with controversial results.

octopus-4 | 3/5 | 2011-1-14

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