AURA

I'll be honest, I don't own any other ASIA albums but this one (and I guess I never will); I haven't even heard any other music by ASIA but the one on this album (and I guess I never will), so my opinion will be absolutely, 100% based on this, my first-ever ASIA album (and I guess my last, too.)

At last I will fulfill my promise of writing my shortest review ever. I've started reviews with that sentence more than a couple of times, never actually having done it. But there's no way I could go past three or four paragraphs with AURA, the lone ASIA album in my collection (and I guess it will always be the lone one).

This music is just completely uninspired, completely mundane, completely repetitive, completely un-prog to be even considered for a song-by-song review. I just can't think of any real standout track on the whole album (and I guess I never will.)

The music? Pop-rock with just hints, read HINTS of prog. And by hints I mean: elements so few, so far between, so SECRET, that it's very easy to even ignore they are actually there. In fact, if I hadn't known which was the band playing the music when I heard it, I wouldn't have thought they were part of the Archives (and I guess I never will.)

Don't get me wrong: there's some instrumental talent in these band members: we know Vinnie Colaiuta is a great drummer (though from hearing this album I guess you'd never think so), Steve Howe played in Yes (though just from what we heard on this album, I guess you would never believe it); in general, all are talented musicians, but the kind of music they chose to play is so...mediocre. Yes, that's the word. Average. Mediocre. Nothing. I can't remember any single moment in the album where I found myself saying "there's some interesting music right here!". I couldn't find one (and I guess I never will.)

So, I'll be a little politically-incorrect and call Asia's AURA from what I think it is: ELEVATOR- PROG-MUSIC. Nothing else, nothing less.

And that's an elevator I don't think I'll ever want to rclimb on (and I guess, to my surprise, i never will).

Not Recommended for: fans of progressive-rock music that actually want some "prog" in their music without having to hire the services of a FBI investigator and a Egyptian-Tombs archeologist to find any hint of it.

Recommended for: well, fans of Good Old Elevator-Music played by former prog- musicians...

...Maybe their other albums are fantastic. Right now I don't want to find out.... (and I guess.. you know the drill.)

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