CHARLESTOWN

Another year, another Manning album. Guy Manning has released one album each year for the last eleven years. Answer on a postcard if you know which year he debuted as a solo artist. All his releases has been very interesting indeed. In fact; all his albums deserve purchases. Don't only by this album. Buy the whole lot.

Guy Manning has really pushed the boat out on this album. The 35 minutes long title track is very ambitious, to say at least. It is a track that is bumping a long as the landscape in Guy Manning's Yorkshire, although the track is about a small village in Cornwall (Google 'Charlestown' if you want) and the sea. But this track still have it's peaks and valleys with soaring majestic melody lines and more lyrical musings inbetween. ..........And it works !!! This track is absolute excellent and a sure five stars track.

Then we have some shorter tracks..... Caliban and Ariel too is an excellent track. The same goes for The Man in the Mirror with it's infectious grooves and choir. A more compressed version would make a sure radio hit. But progressive rock is not all about making hits. Anyway, the current version is an excellent song. Clocks is a beautiful ballad and a superb one too.

Then we have T.I.C. and Finale...... Frankly, I do not get anything out of these tracks. T.I.C is a good rocker, but nothing more. Finale is an instrumental with a lot of quirky time changes, but nothing more. Both songs are good, but not in the same class as the rest of the album.

My overall impression is that Guy Manning has released another excellent album which cements his position as one of the three best British prog rock artists in today's scene. Charlestown is also his best ever album. It is not a masterpiece, but it is a close call though.

4.5 stars