CHOCOLATE KINGS

Here's where the PFM magic began to fade for some listeners, and after giving it due consideration I have to declare myself one of them. The addition of Bernardo Lanzetti from Acqua Fragile to the lineup could have been an interesting opportunity to shake up the band's sound - certainly, his raw vocals don't quite fit the band's gentle, pastoral style of previous albums - but the realignment seems to have been pitched to gain more widespread appeal amongst the international prog-listening community (remember, this came out at the commercial peak of prog) rather than to properly incorporate Lanzetti's voice into the band's sound. There's a Roundabout reference here, an ELP keyboard flourish there, and of course the vocals are all in English. It's pleasant enough stuff, but we all know they can do better.