ISLANDS

"Islands" is one of the most polarizing and esoteric KC albums for sure. I found it to reveal its strengths after repeated listens. The sounds throughout are often soft and reflective. "Formentera Lady" for instance, starts off beautifully with interesting flute, piano and string flourishes. The lyrics are great too. The album isn't short of edge either. The crunchy guitar and Mellotron on "Salior's Tale" sound quite ominous at times. I like the sax work on this album as well, but listeners may find that parts of it tend to meander in places. Despite the uneveness, there is some downright spellbinding music here. There are some nice surprises too. "Ladies of The Road" is a bit of an oddball, but quite intriguing with its Beatlesque harmonies and sleazy Rolling Stones-styled lyrics. My favourite piece of all is the introspective title track. I rate this the same as the album "Lizard": Three and a half stars. Very good album.