THE RAVEN THAT REFUSED TO SING (AND OTHER STORIES)

It never ceases to amaze me at what endless creativity Steven Wilson seems to have. The guy is just a songwriting machine, and it seems like that no matter what project he is writing for lately, whatever comes out of it is simply brilliant.

After Grace for Downing, I thought it would be hard for him to top that as a solo artist, but he has somehow done it, thanks to bringing his touring band into the studio and making his 3rd solo effort more of a collaborative effort, rather than him hiring musicians to play everything he wrote. The result: The Raven That Refused to Sing, which appears to be one of his best overall works to date.

The Raven... manages to have the classic Wilson sound and trademarks, while blending in some very strong 70s symphonic rock influences. Classic prog has always been detectible in Wilson's writing, but it has never been as strong as it is here. And yet it still manages to not sound derivative; it sounds very much like a Steven Wilson record. There simply aren't enough words for what an amazing songwriter this guy is.