SETTLEMENT

This new album by Strawbs has been being celebrated short on arrival as a revival of their halcyon days, like shown in (let's say) Grave New World. There's a good measure of truth in such assertion, but not in the more obvious sense: the source from which came Benedictus, and The Flower And The Young Man, has delivered great materials this time, but not gems of THAT beauty.

The resurgence of their classic sound is more in the quality of the songwriting and in the band's musicianship to be found. A good taste of this you can have it in the opener, where, on a hard & symphonic setting, you get the unique vocals by Dave Cousins, a fantastic organ solo courtesy of Dave Bainbridge, and Dave Lambert providing spirited electric guitar. The style of the album is however diverse: there's also the calmer times, brought by the folk tunes that every Strawbs fan has the aquired right to expect, there's the more convoluted vocal arrangements, and there's also the occasional touch of classical complexity.

A nice and welcomed surprise. I think we have to seize this kind of offering while it's still coming.

From John Barlass' review on At The Barrier:

"Settlement is dedicated to the memory of Tony Hooper, a founder member of Strawbs who was with the band from their earliest days in 1964 until August 1972, and again between 1984 and 1993. Tony died in November 2020 at the age of 81."