EL-AHRAIRAH [AKA: MUSIC INSPIRED BY WATERSHIP DOWN]

It would seem that Bo was maybe trying to capture the magic of his debut with this his fourth album, as it also is inspired by literature. For me though this is my least favourite of his first four studio albums.

"Born In The Gentle South" is the longest track by far at around 16 1/2 minutes. Keyboards and guitar keep swapping the lead here as we get a beat and synths coming and going. It settles before 6 minutes then picks back up. Some attitude before 11 minutes for over a minute. Flute before 13 minutes. "Allegro For A Rescue" is a short guitar led piece. Never heard guitar like this on a Hansson record before.

"Legend And Light" is led by piano early. A beat arrives a minute in. The song kicks in after 2 minutes briefly then again later. No flow to this one. "Trial And Adversity" is much better as it's kind of dreamy with a beat and keys. "The Twice-Victory" is slow moving with piano to start. The synths before 6 1/2 minutes sound a lot better. It kicks in after 7 minutes to end it. "The Kingdom Brightly Smiles" is the short conclusion. Piano melodies throughout.

A good album but I find 3 stars to be more than fair.