PROG FOLK

This is one of those few albums that had an instant impact on me. Already on the first listen I knew that I was going to like this. It is also the kind of discovery that gives you hope of finding more great music in unexpected places even in the future. Red Jasper is a unique band mixing British Folk Rock in the style of Fairport Convention with the drama of (Neo-) Progressive Rock and bit of Celtic atmospheres and instruments. While listening I am reminded of bands as diverse as Strawbs, Marillion, Fairport Convention, Galahad, Horslips, Camel (particularly the folky Harbour Of Tears album) and Genesis.

The strong vocals of Davey Dodds remind alternately of Peter Gabriel and Dave Cousins but he has undoubtedly also picked up a few tricks from both Neo-Prog singers like Marillion's Fish and traditional Folk Rock singers. The rest of the band are just as competent with the traditional (Prog) Rock line up with electric guitars, bass, drums and keyboards being enhanced with Folk instruments like mandolin and tin whistle. A very appealing sound is produced!

The album opens and closes with Sonnet I and II. These are rather laid back numbers based on acoustic guitar and deep, moving vocals. While not very representative for the rest of the album the Sonnets open and close the album in good fashion and the opener sets the mood for what is to come. The second track Virtual Reality is the only song on this album that has no Folk influences at all; it is a pure, hard edged Neo-Prog song, but a very good one.

Berkana slows things down again with another moving vocal performance backed by keyboards, piano and Celtic whistle. Beautiful! Surprisingly, the song ends with an up tempo mandolin section very much in the style of a Fairport Convention instrumental. I just love that kind of music!

The 13 plus minute Dreamscape (parts 1 & 2) is the centrepiece of the album and reminds in its structure of Fairport Convention's Matty Groves and Strawbs' The Vision Of The Lady Of The Lake in that it tells a story chronologically. Rock and Pop songs are usually not written in this way. Dreamscape is, however, a much more progressive piece than any of those Folk Rock classics. While the vocals are very strong here, I don't think that Dodds ever rivals Dave Cousins' wild and out of this world vocal on the Just A Collection Of Antiques And Curios-version of The Vision Of The Lady Of The Lake (but who does?!). On the other hand, Dreamscape explodes instrumentally as opposed to vocally towards the end to great effect. Jean's Tune is a lovely instrumental piece that blends acoustic guitars and mandolin with a backing of drums and discrete keyboards. The tempo changes (i.e. increases) a few times and electric guitar is added towards the end. I must again emphasise how similar this is in style to Fairport Convention and also how much I enjoy this kind of music!

Invitation To Dance is again a more diverse and progressive song that partly reminds of early Genesis with some more cheerful and folky parts. As indicated by the title, a part of this is some kind of Jig (a form of lively traditional Folk dance tune) with some hard edged guitars and electic guitar soling. This is perhaps the track that most of all captures the essence of Red Jasper in a single track. Treasure Hunt features very tasteful electric guitar soling and some pleasant Jethro Tull like vocals. Finally, Sonnet II ties the album together nicely.

Overall, I think this is a very interesting and solid album that I really enjoy. Being much underrated Red Jasper clearly deserves more attention.

Highly recommended!

"Woven Cord" Airy music opens the first piece. When things pick up, there's heavy drumming and blasts of a wailing bagpipe. It is followed by electric guitar over a spacious backdrop.

"Wave After Wave" Retaining the pervasive Celtic flavor, the second piece features a bittersweet fiddle. Joanne Hogg's beautiful vocals are heard for the first time.

"Open Sky" Over sparse instrumentation, Hogg sings. This is largely a vocal track that features some vast electric guitar playing.

"Castlerigg" This expansive piece consists of light synthetic padding and eventual bagpipes. Gentle vocals dance gracefully on the calm and quiet music. It doesn't pick up until the final two minutes, where the piper really lets go alongside a peppy rhythm section.

"A Million Stars" Melancholic violin makes up the shortest piece.

"Light Reflected" This song features delicate vocals and a more forceful guitar solo.

"Hinba" Here is yet another soft song highlighting Hogg's copious talent as a singer and Troy Donockley's abilities as a bagpiper.

"Songs of Ascent (Part 1)" The first section of this tripartite piece consists of more New Age music, eventually led by a calming flute. Suddenly heavy drumming sets upon things, abruptly introducing the vocals.

"Songs of Ascent (Part 2)" Inviting and delightful, the second part brings in an electric guitar and a soothing harp. It opens into what is perhaps the airiest portion of the album.

"Songs of Ascent (Part 3)" Lovely vocalizations and buoyant percussion makes for a charming listening experience. It is followed by a full-bodied guitar solo.

"Friendship's Door" The final track is a sleepy one- more of the same, or, I should say, less of the same.

A long wait for their third album, but the group members were busy at their own solo albums, Greg Weeks have 5 or 6 to his credit, where Meg Baird released early this year her first (or second, I can't be sure), while Helena Espvall release a second collaboration album with Masaki Batoh. Sooo anyway, three years is a long time. Unchanged line-up, still a great artwork (very pagan folk and Amerindian native art on the cover, but musically, there is a slight shift towards more standard folk rock, slowly reaching Fairport Convention-type of folk rock. The music on III is definitely more "modern" and less "medieval" than on II, but it is also more varied and maybe monotonous, in the literal sense of the word, not to be confused with boring.

If the group manages a good start with Can't See Clear and Golden Dust, the album soon drowns in a semi-coma with Caroline (not the Wyatt track) and The Pearl, which sounds like even the band don't believe in those tracks - especially the latter, which had everything to boost a turbo and reach another dimension. So for the first four tracks, the mood seems upbeat for Espers, which is a bit of a change from their usual melancholy. Well the group doesn't abandon their previous spookiness altogether either since That Which Darkly Thrives and Sightings, both slower and more brooding pieces that evoke a bit their first two albums. But the darkness doesn't last and while the mellotron-laden Meridian is melancholic enough and Colony is the album's centrepiece. Indeed the album returns to a more upbeat mood with Trollslanda, a good closer with an excellent bravura middle section. Most likely this album will need a bit more time and listens than their predecessors, which were more immediately pleasing.

If you can find the gatefold mini-Lp version of this album, by all means jump for it, because it looks much better than the digipak version that I ordered through their label site (which arrived with a crushed tray). So while less spooky and more varied, Espers sort of demystify themselves and go blander, most likely in an attempt to widen their appeal and reach a new audience. But in the meantime, this proghead thinks this album doesn't reach the heights of their previous albums, but III remains a very decent album. Whether it will be worth keeping in a few years (when time for a good shelf trimming cut) is not yet clear, though.

Perfect example of prog folk, mature, very playful and offering far more than you can get on first listen. Maybe someone can be awed by presence of so much of symphonic (literally, there's an orchestra). And if you are amongst these who managed to see Too Old To R'n'R, Too Young To Die as musical video, count yourself lucky. It's a very good one, presenting whole record. Musically, this one is one of the best singles from JT I've witnessed. Uncompromisingly truthful, so sad and emotional, still concluding in man's victory over mortality.

As somebody pointed out on forum, this is not like old JT work. It's different, but this doesn't necessarily means bad. This is opposite of bad (actually, opposite of worst), because maybe it's not best at all (I like Aqualung more), but can be rated next to these, really.

5(-) of course, Ian's voice (which I admire a lot) helps this lot, but this can apply to their every record. This is underdog, hated, or at least overlooked by most, but for few of us there, it is masterpiece. It should be.

Now, when it´s released on CD and the re-master overseen by Mr Renbourn himself, its time to give it justice. The album starts with a cover of "Sally free and easy", beautifully sung by Bert Jansch. Actually, Jansch take the lead vocal on several tracks, for me that´s a good thing. "The snows" is one of the best performance the group did and their version of Willy O´Winsbury" is a killer, with fine singing from Jacqui. The rest of the album is packed with strong tunes.

So, Salomon´s Seal" is certainly one of the strongest albums Pentange made. Just give it a try and you will agree!!

Nocna Ptica is a folk ballad, a good introduction for the album. It's happy and lively and it gives the tone to the album.

Pjesma O Njenim Snovima is slower than the first song. I'd describe it as mournful and melancholy. It contains a pretty good bass line.

Trebao Sam Ali Nisam is similar to Pjesma. It's the shortest track of the album, but it doesn't make it bad. On this one, Drago is accompanied by a keyboard and it leads in a short good guitar solo to conclude with singing and keyboards agin.

Pjesme s Planine, the title-track, is the first real progressive track of the album. It's a mini- epic (10 minutes) which shows Srecko Zubak habilities on keyboards at the beginning. After that, Jadranko Budic, a talented guitarist, does some guitar fills that lead in a great solo. Then things get more powerful, the drum enters and Mlinarec starts singing again, doubled by Budic this time, until a keyboard solo starts, with bass and drums as a background. This song ends with vocal improvisation with bass accompaniment and guitar and keyboard fills.

Skladiste Tisine has a melody that resembles a little bit to Srebri Se Mraz (on his first album, A Ti Se Ne Daj), mixed with a classic Dylan song. It begins with harmonica, played (well) by Drago Mlinarec. It's full of acoustic folk guitar and good vocal performance. I read somewhere that it was a protest song, but I don't speak Yugoslavian (I think that's his language, but I'm not even sure that it exists...)

Otac i Sin is my least favorite song of this album because it's more heavy, and I don't feel like this style fits Mlinarec well. For exemple, I like bands like Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep, or even more extreme bands like Opeth, because it's their style, but I don't expect listening to some (not really good) heavy music when I listen to a folk singer. The song ends with thunder and lightnings sounds, which make it even more bad.

Dijete Zvijezda is the best song of the album. It is really amazing, a masterpiece. Once again, it's a mini-epic (12 minutes, this time), and it should appeal to almost every Progressive music lovers (and since you're on this site, I conclude you probably like prog, as well). It is somewhat influenced by Meddle-Era Pink Floyd, particularly Echoes. I don't have much to say about this song, except it is excellent.

Finally I'd say this say this album deserves a rating somewhere between three and four stars, but I'll give it a four, if only it can make someone want to take a look at it. It is definitely worth listening to it at least once if you don't like that style much, but more if you like it.

"The man in the bowler hat" is, if not, an improvment concenering previous efforrts. Gone is the charming ditties and instead we are served a delicate menu of well crafted tunes. For me, a lost nothern hobo from one of the land of the rising sun (norrsken), this is an amalgam of joyus playing and well crafted arrangements. Hard to pick any favorites. the hole album is on the the menu. Take it or leave it!