THE SPIRIT OF AUTUMN PAST

This was my first Mostly Autumn purchase, after hearing "The Gap is too Wide" and dowloading "Music Inspired By The Lord Of The Rings". I must say it didn't struck me at first, as I was antecipating something more like "MIBTLOTR". However, after a couple more listens, I was simply overblown. The production sound better, and the music is far more complex and well-built. The first four songs sound less proggy and more poppy, apart from some bits, but that doesn't take merit from them. They are all very well composed and played. The only flaw is Bryan Josh's voice on three of these four, but he makes up for it with his fantastic guitar playing (especially on "This Great Blue Pearl"). Anyway, after a four good songs intro, the whole shebang kicks in. The fiifth song is among the finnest pieces of music I haver had the pleasure of hearing. It uses a formula very dear to Mostly Autumn (slow acoustin beggining, with Heather singing and lot's of flute, speeding gently to a climax and ending with an amazing electric guitar solo by Josh). However, I don't think they ever did so well as on "Evergreen". It is followed by the folkier side of the album, the space-folk sequence "Styhead Tarn", "Shindig", "Blakey Ridge/When The Waters Meet" and "Underneath the Ice". The gentle ballad "Through the Windows" and the mini-suite "The Spirit of Autumn Past" are again very well played, but suffer from the same problem as the songs in the beggining, which is to say Josh's untrained voice. But again, he and Jennings make it all up and up with the song's ending. The album then finishes with the song that started it all for me. I don't need to go on and praise the beauty and wonderfull composition of "The Gap is too Wide". You probaly realized by now that this is a song that can really make a difference in an album. So, how to rate this album? In good fairness, it deserves a 4-star, but since its ratings are low now, and being that it is essential in MY collection, I give it a 5-star, only because there is no 4,5.