ESQUIRE

In the 80s I became a fan of Esquire before I even knew much about its mothership, Yes. I knew nothing of the involvement of Alan White, Chris Squire or his talented (former) wife, Nikki. All I knew what that the sound of vocal harmonies, rich synthesizers and memorable choruses made me an immediate fan. This music is heavily layered, and a real treat to decrypt when listening.

The lyrics, like most in the Yes family of music, are nonsensical, and even quite silly at times - such that I usually feel ridiculous as I sing them to myself. But the lyrics aren't what makes this a good album.

While Nikki Squire takes credit for most of what's on the album, Chris Squire's influence (as well as his backing vocals) is prominent and indisputable. What's also significant is that this is surprisingly much less progressive than the Yes music of just a few years earlier. Songs fall within the 3-5 minute range, solo performances are all but absent and there's never any sort of story to be told here. Dynamically, each song carries a distinct individual melody and arrangement, but all songs are closely aligned with one another and don't deviate much from the established sound.

So from a prog perspective, this album falls a little flat. But that doesn't diminish the solid sound and performances of all involved.

Highlights include the rousing "To the Rescue," "Up, Down, Turnaround" and "Hourglass."

Given that this rock isn't all that progressive, I penalize it by one star. But it's good enough to be given at least three of them.

Looking at the name you would guess straight that this band is something to do with Yes' Chris Squire and...you bet! It's basically the band of two: Nikki Squire (now ex wife of Chris Squire) as lead vocal and Nigel McLaren (bass) with collaboration from well known musicians on top of Chris Squire: Alan White (Yes) and Pat Thrall (Asia). The music is quite straightforward and easy to digest. The opening track "To the Rescue" is catchy and reminds me to the voice of Jon Anderson (Yes) especially during the Big Generator album. The music flows nicely from start to end. The second track "Sunshine" is another good follow-up from the opening. The other song that is quite good terms of melody and flow is 'Up Down Turnaround'. I guess most of you like music can enjoy this album quite well. The interlude part features good guitar solo combined nicely with keyboard work. You might say that the way Nikki sings is somewhat similar with the way Jon sings.

The melody of all songs contained here is quite good and makes it easy for everyone to repeat. Look at the example of 'Hourglass' (6th track) that reminds you to the Yes' "Onward". The composition is quite good with managed changes from one piece to another. The overall style of the music for each track is quite uniform and it makes the music is quite cohesive. The sonic quality is excellent. Overall, I think this is a very good album and very enjoyable. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Having had tracks included on both the "Yes; friends and family" compilations, along with numerous other similar extended-Yes collections, one could be forgiven for assuming that there is a direct connection between Esquire and Yes. The truth is though that Esquire take their name from Chris Squire's ex-wife Nikki, who is lead singer and song writer with the band. While Chris had some involvement with Esquire's eponymous debut, he has made it clear in interviews that he was not involved in any way with this, the band's second (and to date latest) release.

Esquire was originally a trio, but between their two albums, keyboards player Charles Olins left, leaving just Nikki and bassist Nigel McLaren. The pair write and perform all the songs here, assisted by guest musicians such as Denny Laine (of the early Moody Blues and later Wings), and Chris Slade of Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Due to a number of factors, not least of which the upheaval in Nikki's personal life, the album took some years to finalise, eventually appearing in 1997. That version came in a choice of red or blue covers, but neither sold in great quantities and are now firmly classed as rarities. A CD re-release of the album in 2002 saw greater success, that version containing two additional tracks "Yours truly" and "Hearts of gold".

"Coming home" is generally regarded as a better album than "Esquire", with less overt Yes overtones. That said, Nikki's voice does have a passing similarity with that of her ex-husband in both style and tone. On the opening "Digital kids" this is particularly apparent, the song having a resemblance with songs by the Yes West combo. In terms of music, this is one of the more straightforward songs on the album, the repetitive hook on the chorus clearly being intended to catch the listener's attention. "Big girls don't cry" (not the Four seasons song!) reminds me a bit of "Big generator" in terms of its slower, majestic beat; Nikki's vocals sound rather like Chaka Khan's (especially Khan's contribution to Rick Wakeman's album "1984").

It is when we get to "Tron Thomi' that we reach the real meat of the album. This song, which was influenced by the Squire's middle daughter whose nickname is Tronika, looks at such weighty matters as religion and ecology from a little girls viewpoint. With a running time of around 8 minutes, the piece is allowed to develop more fully, Nikki's vocals here being very Jon Anderson like. Indeed, there are a number of Yes' tricks and trademarks throughout the song, these being very much to the benefit of this, one of the undoubted highlights of the album.

"We are" is a pleasant power ballad with suitably sugary lyrics, the multi-part harmonies on the chorus coming across particularly well. The relatively brief "Yours truly" is a pleasant, but undemanding light pop song. The title track is another well constructed power rock number with a more progressive arrangement. "Change of heart" is a delightful romantic pop ballad with some fine keyboards. Whether the lyrics are intended for Chris is not stated, presumably not. "Glass houses" is a rather average upbeat number with only a burst of admittedly enjoyable lead guitar to distinguish it. "The zone of O" returns to the feel of a Yes song, from their later years at least.

"Keep on dreaming" has a similar complexion to that of the opening track, the jaunty upbeat mood coming across as overtly pop. "Save it" could again be a paean of another sort to Chris, the child like vocals on the chorus being surprisingly effective. The album closes with "Hearts of gold", another power ballad with an atmospheric arrangement.

"Coming home" offers firm evidence that Nikki Squire is a highly proficient musician in her own right. There's no doubt that living with Chris Squire and being involved in his work has rubbed of on her, but this can only be to her benefit. Overall, this album is a little too one dimensional to be hailed as a lost classic from the wider Yes family. There is though plenty of fine music here, and while it could never be described as progressively challenging, there is certainly a depth to the music which enhances the overall listening experience.