TUNISIA: TWO FALSE IDOLS

Originally released in 2005 under the name of Tunisia, the debut album by Ben Craven, a talented Australian artist based in Brisbane, was re-released in 2012 as a solo work with a new mix and a different track list. Although in the new version the songs are bound together as if they were part of a long suite, the result is uneven and fragmented. According to the liner notes written in 2012 by the author, ultimately, Two False Idols is a singer-songwriter album first, with prog-rock elements inevitably creeping in. I agree, of course. This is a good album of classic rock with elements of rock'n'roll (Enough About You), rock blues à la ZZ Top (Not Me It's You), calm ballads (Great Divide, If You Knew, Over, Look Away) and a strong leaning to AOR sprinkled with a touch of prog. Some tracks could recall The Beatles (Golden Band) or David Bowie's space oddities (Captain Caper) but there's nothing particularly complex or really memorable that you can find here.

On the whole, this is a pleasant listening for sure but not an essential album in a prog collection.