BRIDGE ACROSS FOREVER

The second Transatlantic album is tight and creative! It's clear that these guys were having a great time recording these songs since the music is fun and adventurous while keeping a perfect balance between it's nostalgia factors and the new ideas. Neal Morse has, once again, written an excellent set of compositions which have then been picked apart and put together by the band.

This is one of the few times when I can recommend buying the Limited Edition-version of the album because of the genuine fun factor of the second CD that will make you want to revisit it from time to time. Trust me when I say that you won't hear this version of the Beatles' And I Love Her anywhere else!

Of course Bridge Across Forever is not without its flaws like the very long intros and outros on the two longer tracks or the somewhat uneven Beatlesque track called Suite Charlotte Pike with the slightly irritating intro restart. I guess that this is one instant where the playfulness might seem a bit out of proportion, but the Suite Charlotte Pike Medley from Live In Europe is surprisingly even worse.

Still it's obvious that Transatlantic has stopped being a collective of big name starts and have actually taken a step in the right direction with this releases. If anything, it's a big improvement on the first album's formula.

***** star songs: Duel With The Devil (26:43)

**** star songs: Bridge Across Forever (5:32) Stranger In Your Soul (26:06)

*** star songs: Suite Charlotte Pike (14:30)

Total Rating: 4,17