HOME

After ''Seven'' Magenta had become one of the hottest names of the modern Prog scene.The first live album of the band becomes reality at the fall of 2004 under the title ''Another time... another place'' and the marketing around them becomes even stronger in 2005, when the first DVD of Magenta ''The gathering'' sees the light.Meanwhile the band was in a creative orgasm, not only playing numerous live shows but having already started composing material for a third album.Dan Fry joins the band on bass and drummer Allan Mason-Jones becomes the sixth official member of Magenta.Recorded in three different studios on English ground, the new album ''Home'', released during the summer of 2006 on F2 Music, is another concept work, refering to a girl abandoning its homeland in Liverpool to sail in New York city for a better luck and life.

The sensitive story the album deals with required lots of lyrical moments, as a result ''Home'' is an emotional, poetic work, fronted by Christina Booth's clean voice, unfolding the story in her own unique way.Musically there is a certain turn towards more melodic soundscapes and even some poppy elements appear in this effort, clearly in a more traditional Neo Prog approach, with less symphonic orchestrations and even lesser complex, instrumental workouts.No surprise though, Rob Reed and his Magenta did it very well in this style as well, performing a sensational Progressive Rock with excellent solos, smooth piano lines and quirky synthesizers providing a sufficient enough background for Prog fans.Fans of more Classic Prog stylings will not be dissapointed either.While the more demanding instrumentals have been mostly left out of line, there are still obvious GENESIS and RENAISSANCE shadows almost in every piece, not to mention the longer tracks feature plenty vintage references with STEVE HACKETT-like guitar trembling, soft organ touches and orchestral moods, some of which sound very pompous and delightful.The concept as a whole flows with an extreme comfort and the mass of vocals will not bother the listener.The musical background is strong enough to satisfy any MAGENTA fan and the arrangements, even if they sound less bombastic and adventurous, are extremely well-crafted and require some careful listenings along the way.

Another solid album by a band that slowly develops into a legend of the modern British Prog scene.Melodic, lyrical and still retro-flavored Neo Prog with a sensitive aura and story behind the curtains.Strongly recommended...3.5 stars.