POD NIEBEM CZAS / THE TIME BENEATH THE SKY

Wow, I am the first reviewer here who has listened to Polish version and was able to understand the lyrics (they were written in my native language) - and, trust me guys who did not understand - you were lucky men, cause you really should make effort to spoil such great music with something as sappy. Emila Derkowska certainly has nothing to do with Miss Dickinson, she is just the 2222th follower of Christina Rossetti. Moreover, she much too often sings them in softly, poppish manner. But to be fair, I should say that her voice really can rock - listen to "List z pustyni I" and "No Quarter", and had a contribution in composing really great tracks. And the music is simply delicious, there are bits of Camel, Pink Floyd, Pendragon, early Marillion of course, but it is mature, refined Quidam style, very subtle neoprog, enriched with oboe, cello, mandolin, but first of all with very good flute playing (Jacek Zasada is amazing, IMHO he could substitute flute parts of Dave Jackson). The performance is very high and the production clear. My favorite parts are "List z Pustyni", "No Quarter", "Jesteś", "Credo" (both parts) and "Quimpromptu" - but in every track you will find sophisticated rhythm section, atmospheric keyboards, and refined guitar and flute solos - for the painstaking analysis see my excellent co-reviewers. If you do not expect much from lyrics, this album because of its tunes is an excellent addition to any prog collection, and it will make you miss the times of lineup with Emila, which I do after seeing the new lineup play alive. It is a great memory of better times.