INTERNAL EXILE

I slightly prefer Fish's second solo album over his debut. It's sure less consistent and the lows are lower, but by compensation, the heights are higher and Fish restores some of the folksy qualities that were almost entirely forsaken on the debut.

The album starts strongly with the mildly proggy Shadowplay, a song that could have featured on later Marillion albums. Fish still has too much to say and clutters the song with lyrics, but still, there's more room for the music here then on the debut. Also Credo allows for the musicians to flesh out the song material a bit. Both songs contain plenty of catchy melodies and folksy sing-a-longs. The next couple of songs are less remarkable, mainly sticking to balladry pop standards or rehashing older ideas. Isn't Lucky and obvious remake of Freaks? A third and last highlight comes from Tongues, the best Fish solo track I've heard. Something In The Air is a sidestep into synth/techno-pop areas that works quite well for me.

Overall this is a from outstanding album, but the few highlights work really well and have continued to get an occasional spin over the course of the years.