KEN SENIOR

A combination of songs and instrumentals, Ken again provides all the music and vocals, but here in a far more relaxed manner, so laid-back at times that he is almost horizontal. Lots of gently strummed acoustic guitars, along with softly sung vocals and Hackett-esque electric lead lines takes one back much further in time than the days of heady neo- prog and firmly into the early Seventies. This is not music which is supposed to be dissected and pored over, but rather just put it on the player and relax into it. I've discovered it is one of those albums that works equally well as background or being directly listened to, but however you want to ingest it, this is yet another really interesting album from Ken. Yes, it feels and sounds like an independent release, and in many ways has far more in common with the 90's than the current day, but that isn't always a bad thing. This could never be confused with being a big budget over the top release, but instead is by someone who does this simply because he loves it.

Fast forward to 2017, and Evolution has become Evolve, and while Ken has been joined by drummer Grant Henderson, the rest is very much all him. These are all new recordings, but I actually know every song contained within, as they are all from the old days. In fact, one of them, 'Shock of the New', was played on Radio 1 back in 1987! The majority of songs on this CD actually featured on the Evolution CD, but 'Future (Parts One and Two)' comes originally from the 'Future' cassette, and 'Dominator' comes from 'The Wind and the Wallows' tape. How do I know this? Because all these years later I still have them!

Listening to these songs again for the first time in many years simply made me smile. Ken never got the acclaim or publicity of the larger bands, partly because it is bloody hard to play prog when the band consists of just one person, so there were hardly any gigs at a time when the scene revolved around live music. But he never gave up, as can be seen by the amount of material he released, and here he is still going strong. This is neo-prog, strong solid neo-prog. Yes it sounds dated, but he has brought these songs back to life and brought in a real drummer (which was always my main moan back in the day, hated programmed drums back then and my opinion has never faltered). His influences are rockier bands such as IQ, Marillion and Pallas, with early Galahad thrown in for good measure as well as looking back to Genesis and Floyd and then bringing it all together in his typical Yorkshire style.

Ken always struck me as one of the really nice guys around, never allowing his lack of critical success to stop him from pursuing his calling, and I always knew that when one of his tapes appeared in the post I was in for an enjoyable listen. Okay, so listening to the music now it does seem rather na've, but this is classic neo prog from someone who was there. The scene and bands may have moved on, but Ken is still playing as if it is 25 years ago, and that is absolutely fine by me. I doubt many people ever heard the original CD, and can guarantee even less have the tapes, but this self- released CD is a step back in time, and will raise a smile to all of who were there, keeping the scene alive.

It is really hard to determine that there is only one person behind this great musicianship, as ''First Signs of Life'' is an album full of superb melodies, dreamy instrumental parts, rich soundscapes and tight demanding structures, not far from the sound of ELEGANT SIMPLICITY.Senior seems influenced by bands like GENESIS, CAMEL, CYAN and PENDRAGON with his compositions being cleverly split in instrumental madness and sensitive vocal parts.His guitar work is fantastic, some splendid melodies come out of his strings, supported by some great work on keyboards: Atmospheric synthesizers, background piano and light organ passages all the way.The albums starts off in a more simple mood, being typical melodic Neo Progressive Rock, characterized by dramatic melodies and a hidden grandiosity, becoming though more complex as it unfolds.The later longer cuts are just beautiful with plenty of breaks and good interplays, a bit more symphonic than the opening ones, with sharp guitar work, nice keyboards and a more MARILLION-esque sound.

Next came another cover by Evolution, this time it was '''Never let go'' for the Camel tribute album ''Harbour of joy''.This was meant to be the last Evolution recording with Senior focusing on his work with Lynne and McBabe, while he also became the bassist of Parallel or 90 Deegrees.

This is superb and highly melodic Neo Prog with a number of great compositions, which deserves some more fame.Highly recommended from Retro Prog fans to followers of a more modern approach in their prog music.