VISION ON

UK based artist Tim Burness has been an active solo artist for quite a few years now; and has produced a nice album with his 2007 creation Vision On.

Symphonic rock from the 70's is a big influence on the compositions; and the output of Steve Hackett in particular, as heard on the opening number. There's quite a few spacier moments here too though, in sound perhaps a tad closer to Hawkwind than Burness' stated idols Pink Floyd. Still, the symphonic leanings are most prominent, in tunes which apart from that have leanings towards pop music; and which probably will appeal more to fans of Neo than classic symphonic rock.

It's a mixed production though; some songs just doesn't manage to cut it. Burness' isn't a great singer either, and especially on the calmer, ballad-like songs his vocals tend to grate a bit. Quite a few goodies in here too though, with -Broaden Your Horizons- as my personal selection from this release.

Tim Burness is a prog icon of the eighties who released the excellent Burnessence albums. Tim's comeback is very welcome then. In the previous productions, the influences were clearly King Crimson's with some neo prog spices of course. With this new opus, the colour is more Pendragon-like. Is it because Fudge Smith plays drums on it? I don't think so! This is more by the general tone of the disc. The man is a talented multi-instrumentalist who invited some friends. A pity he didn't hire a singer for the vocals are just correct and they would have added a more professional touch to the whole. Well, you guessed this is not an essential disc but it must be supported for there are very good moments, including some welcome humour.