IN FLIGHT

I get the impression that Guy Manning is beginning to get the wider recognition he deserves. I started following his music from his early days in The Tangent and was always surprised that his extensive albums as Manning are not better known despite being so well received by those who have discovered them. In Flight is Damanek's second release after last year's excellent On Track. This is another fine album which concludes with a 30 minute suite in three parts called Big Eastern which, for me, is the highlight of the album. The first part, Cruel Skies, has beautiful oriental influences followed by the more up-tempo The Shaking Earth. This appears to have a middle-eastern style and builds and rebuilds with a compelling rhythm that makes this the best track on the album for me. The final part is A Life In Chinatown, a concluding celebration and a fine end to the album. The suite is preceded by five fine tracks, all noteworthy songs and the whole album is beautifully performed by excellent musicians. Last year I reluctantly rounded-down On Track to four stars but this one definitely deserves five stars.