GRACE FOR DROWNING

Steven Wilson's much anticipated second solo release "Grace for Drowning" will not disappoint his loyal and growing audience and will no doubt seduce many new listeners with its artistry, creativity, musicianship and, as with all Mr Wilson's work, exceptional production quality. It is quite simply, a masterpiece, and as such, hard to capture in any meaningful way in a 200 word review. That said, a few words - first, what it is not - GFD is not a Porcupine Tree album - certainly there are echoes of PT heard here, some common musical roots,but GFD is exquisitely personal in a way that is unique, I think, to this release...hinted at in his first solo release "Insurgentes" but expanded here. And in that intensity, it is a record that demands and commands your attention, with a sheer breadth and depth of emotion, intensity and style that is frankly hard to describe but well worth the experience. The musical and emotional range explored on GFD runs the gamut from the quiet melancholic acoustic guitar and voice to ambient electronica to full bore heavy progressive metal a la King Crimson to jazz-infused jams that echo Zappa and even Captain Beefheart, to sweeping, majestic orchestral and choral passages. I find this is not an album to put on shuffle, or listen to in the car on the way to work - no, for me this is a "curl-up-with-headphones-shut-the-door-turn-out-the-lights-and-listen-to-me" album Ticking in at over 80 minutes, this is no small commitment, but one well worth the investment. I've been a prog fan for years, and cut my musical teeth on Yes, King Crimson, VDGG, Rush, Genesis, Pink Floyd, and of course Porcupine Tree. I've come to expect excellence from all Mr. Wilson's work, whether PT, Blackfield, Bass Communion, or any of his other projects,he gives his best whole-heartedly,surrounds himself with like minded musicians of incredible skill and integrity (and they abound on this album, too!) but he has outdone himself with GFD. Each time I listen to GFD I get new impressions and new favorites, but the initial stand out tracks for me are - on disc one: Deform to Form a Star, No Part of Me, Remainder the Black Dog (stuck in my head right now...); and on disc two:Belle du Jour, Track One and Raider II (amazing!) So, gentle reader, I urge you to curl up, plug in your headphones and take this trip, a full immersion into Grace for Drowning is a journey I suspect you will be drawn back many times.