HARMONY ROW

Jack Bruce was of course part of the legendary power trio CREAM that thrilled audiences in the latter half of the sixties. This is Jack's third solo album released in 1971. What actually drew me to this one was the lineup. A trio including John Marshall (NUCLEUS, SOFT MACHINE) on drums and Chris Spedding (NUCLEUS) on guitar. Jack is an impressive bass player and he can sing too. The music here is of the fairly straight forward singer songwriter style with piano and vocals dominating. A disappointment for sure as I was anticipating that the focus would be on the instrumental work, but it's not. This is almost Folky at times and the Jazz / Fusion roots of Spedding and Marshall are no where to be found.

"Can You Follow" is mellow with piano and vocals. "Escape To The Royal Wood (On Ice)" is a top three for me. Piano and drums early as the vocals join in. An uptempo tune that reminds me of the STRAWBS. I like the bass and vocal melodies 2 1/2 minutes in. "You Burned The Tables On Me" is uptempo with the vocals and piano standing out. "There's A Forest" is laid back with piano and vocals. "Morning Story" is another top three. Just a great sound here then it settles back as the vocals and piano stand out. "Folk Song" is mellow with reserved vocals.

"Smiles And Grins" is finally a song where there's some focus on the instrumental work. Well that is until around 1 1/2 minutes in when the vocals arrive. Nice bass and drum work before 3 1/2 minutes when the vocals stop for a short time. "Post War" is my final top three. A bright tune with good lyrics and the guitar is interesting too here. "A Letter Of Thanks" is different as the vocals are almost theatrical. "Victoria Sage" opens with vocals and piano then it picks up with organ and a beat a minute in. The vocals and piano continue. "The Consul At Sunset" has a Spanish vibe to it and i'm not a fan.

Well some good songs here for sure but for the Prog fan i'm sure you'll be left wanting.