THE BIG PICTURE

The late-80's and early-90's found David Cross in a working orgasm, constantly releasing albums with Radius.However he never abandoned his solo project and in February 92' he recorded his second album ''The big picture'' with his backing group, which now included bassist John Dillon instead of Simon Murrell.Dillon is also responsible for the lead vocals of the album, which was released the same year again on Red Hot Records.

While not drastically different from the debut, Cross' second offering sounds a bit more tight and consistent.Dillon and his fascinating voice has much to do with the fact.The music is again quite diverse, including the strong KING CRIMSON vibes, the furious Fusion parts, while there are also lots of more pompous moments with an orchestral approach to be met.Dillon's voice, Cross' crying violins and Maloney's atmospheric keyboards are the main elements of these passages, which sound very grandiose.The KING CRIMSON-influence and instant Fusion material in ''The big picture'' are propably the more challenging cuts of the album.Abstract breaks, flashy synth solos, frenetic violin runs and a complex rhythm section offer charming, intricate and moving pieces of music, which however suffer again from some cheap 80's production quality.The general atmosphere of the album tends to be dark and even melancholic, still a couple of more synth-based tracks with uninteresting grooves spoil the decent effort.

A step forward for David Cross & co., as the addition of Dillon seems to have brought some fresh air and inspiration to the group.Recommended for all fans of intense and emotional soundscapes.