V

Having heard 'The Kindness of Strangers', this was my second exposure to SB. While the music on 'Kindness...' harkened to older days of Gentle Giant a great deal, there was nothing about that CD that blew me over.

But this one was different. Right from the outset ('At the End of the Day'), this one hit me much more positively and impressed me a great deal. In fact, I will go so far as to say that '...End of the Day' os a modern progressive rock classic, standing (dare I say it?) among such giants as Yes' 'Close to the Edge', ELP's 'Karn Evil 9', and Camel's 'Lady Fantasy'. It's that great a song: immensely well-crafted, inspired/inspiring lyrics delivered passionately and convinginly by Neal Morse.

The remaining tracks leading up to the lengthy finale 'The Great Nothing' are passable or better. 'All on a Sunday' in particular is a gem. 'The Great Nothing is nothing short of brilliant, with manic, hard-played cello in the opening section. The many shifts and mood changes keep the listener enthralled until the final notes, making "V" a stand-up effort by a band that obviously has the chops, but doesn't always inspire.

One day they will come out with an absolute killer. Of this I'm confident based on "V".