HERO & HEROINE IN ASCENCIA

I've been listing to a lot of newer Strawbs material lately and this is, by far, the strangest of their strange but engaging make overs. The fact that this album was redone 30 plus years later is enough to add another dimension to this classic work let alone the fact that the signature keyboard player was replaced and a more technical and less rock oriented drummer was recruited to round out the new line up. Having just said that little, you can already surmise the change in sound even with the arrangements being left more or less intact. The sound production is much thinner than the original which also adds to the album's new ambiance.

One of the most notable features of this album is the aging of Dave Cousins' nasal voice. Yes it's raspier than in the days of old, but his vocal delivery is more earnest and sincere sounding. An amazing feat for a musician that's been performing the same pieces of music for over 40 years.

The simple fact is that this album works because the material is so strong that it can stand up to a make over. Essentially, this album a testament to Dave Cousins ability as songwriter, if nothing else. Essential ? Perhaps only for die hard Strawbs' fans as a casual fan would find this album redundant. However, as a member of the former, "In Absencia" it is an incredibly good album that I enjoy listening to over the original as it does exude quite an air of freshness and energy. 4 stars for "In Ascencia" as opposed to 5 stars generally awarded to it's masterful original version. It's that close.

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