SPEAK

Upon first listen I thought this piano-based, soft-voiced collection of four long songs a bit too syrupy, and, because of its being piano-based, a bit too simple. I am so glad I continued to give this one more listens (thanks once again to progstreaming.com!) because it is not the music of a simpleton! (Though ear candy it is--BIG TIME!)

1. "Speak" (12:19) starts out sounding like a SUPERTRAMP song until the vocals enter giving it a very SPOCK'S BEARD sound. At the 4:00 mark an awesome upbeat driving groove is established by layers of synths, bass, piano, and drums. By the 6:00 things are developing more melodically. At 7:00 there is a YES-like shift with piano and guitar establishing new melody. At 8:05 another exciting section is introduced before the band falls back into a little heavier version of the section established at the six minute mark. At 9:25 the song returns to the beginning vocal section. Song ends with the final two minutes giving the song a very Wind and Wuthering feel. Good tune. (8/10)

2. "... and I Awaken" (11:31) begins with an AUTUMN CHORUS feel, until the same SPOCK'S BEARD-like vocalist enters. The very pleasant layering of harmonizing vocals at the 1:30 mark is the 'hook' that sucks me in. This is followed by a brief but very effective section of some symphonic call and response layers. The song's first part ends about 4:10 with a beautiful little classical piano bridging the way to a little STYX/STARCASTLE section. The excellent classical piano bridges are so RICK WAKEMAN-like! The fuzz guitars so MIKE OLDFIELD! Biginning at the seven minute mark is a dreamy almost RENAISSANCE section--with a touch of BURT BACHARACH key and chord changes! Beautiful! Church-like and yet folkish as well.The section beginning at 8:20 has an amazingly dramatic "Great Gig in the Sky" feel to it. There are even female vocals in the background! Again, PHIDEAUX coms to mind--but this is better! Then the song ends with a bouncy, upbeat section that is so catchy and memorable! Amazing how many "hooks" this song has! This song alone is worth the purchase of the album. (10/10)

3. "Hide and Seek " (16:30) begins with a classical chamber section featuring piano and strings (yes, real ones!) Quite lovely. Then it melts with a single strum of an electric guitar into a classic GENESIS/PINK FLOYD section--which turns into a TONY BANKS "Mad Man Moon" solo section. Gorgeous. Vocals enter giving it again a PINK FLOYD ("Comfortably Numb) like feel. The background synths and acoustic guitars keep it vacillating back to GENESIS territory, while the addition of vocals make me think of some of early ALAN PARSON PROJECTS' dreamier vocal sections. The voice of female KEREN ANN first makes its presence known in the seventh minute, just before the big shift into an upbeat driving groove--over which a PAUL WELLER-like guitarist solos. Fun, catchy section--gets me to my feet to move a little. At 9:50 we fall back to the dreamy "Mad Man Moon" section--complete with "Banksian" piano arpeggios and Hackett-esque volume pedal-controlled sustained guitar notes. The APP dreamy vocal section resumes with some beautiful vocal harmony work from KEREN ANN (among others--or using several tracks). A GILMOUR-esque "Comfortably Numb" solo begins at the 12:40 mark before the song descends back into a more acoustic though more folk than classical section reminiscent of the opening section. Acoustic guitar is here featured. An fast paced section reminding me of something from Selling England begins around the 14:30 mark. Excellent composition of beautiful music if perhaps a bit too familiar and dreamy. (9/10)

4. "The Face Behind the Eyes" (13:35) (featuring Steve Hogarth) begins with nothing very special but in the fourth minute a bouncy piano-based, jazz-classical fusion section begins--sounding very much like a great TONY BANKS soundtrack piece. Awesome stuff! a BEUATIFUL song! (9/10)

While I am not feeling that this is quite a full masterpiece of progressive rock music (perhaps due to its many all-too familiar parts), it is definitely and excellent addition to any prog rock music collection. Highly recommended! Especially for those lovers of melodic neo-symphonic/crossover prog.

by John Galgano (IZZ), Steve Hogarth (Marillion), Matt Johnson (Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright) and Jack Petruzzelli (the Fab Faux, Patti Smith) among others. Even Annie Haslam makes an appearance, although to be honest this time it is not for her incredible vocals but as artist as she provided the cover! Just five songs, but still an hour of playing time, this is an incredibly reflective album and one that is full of class and power. There are obviously many prog influences, but if opener "Speak" doesn't sound as if it belongs firmly on 'Trick of a Tail' then nothing does. I've never heard a song that so epitomizes just what a group created on one album ? the only dissent would be if you wanted to discuss if in fact it should have been on 'Wind and Wuthering'; he has really nailed a very short period of Genesis.

Then turn to the next song "..And I Awaken" and lo and behold if it doesn't start off like one of Neal Morse's early solo albums where he was reflective as opposed to bombastic. By this time I was well and truly hooked and instead of trying to spot the reference I was instead just glorying in the sheer delight of what is an incredibly layered and polished progressive rock album. The album screams 'class' in capital letters ten feet high and this really is one masterpiece after another, always firmly anchored in the keyboards (often piano) of Jason who has a wonderfully delicate and emotive touch.

Their website doesn't contain much, in fact it is only details of how to order the album, but all progheads need to try and hear this as it is a delight from start to finish. www.i-and-thou.com

Jason Hart gets to live the prog fan's dream with his I and Thou project, which sees him collaborating with a wide range of prog veterans on this set of lavish extended neo-prog instrumentals. Even the cover art brings star power to bear, painted by none other than Annie Haslam of Renaissance. The musical style is reflective and tends towards the pastoral styles of classic-period Genesis - the comparisons others have made to the Wind and Wuthering or Trick of the Tail era are apt - and for the most part the focus is very much on long, extended instrumental passages dominated by Hart's keyboards. (The only song on here which doesn't qualify as a full-on mini epic is the comparatively brief Go or Go Ahead, which includes a remarkable guest performance by Marillion's Steve Hogarth). Delightful stuff.

A project by Jason Hart, a US musician who has worked with Marillion, I got this CD shortly after its release at the end of 2012.

There are a host of guest stars on this cd, and the last track, Go Or Go Ahead, features lead vocals by Steve Hogarth himself. This is my favourite track here (I am a sucker for H!), but I should here draw attention to the vocals on the longest track on the album, Hide And Seek, mainly by Hart, but featuring Keren Ann, who, with Hart, draws in the light symphonic mood perfectly.The two of them sound very good together when they harmonise. It is a deeply satisfying love song.

Perhaps the most famous guest is one who doesn't actually perform, but is responsible for the gorgeous artwork on the cd sleeve, one Annie Haslem.

There are only five tracks on here but we still have a full length CD. Opener Speak sets the tone perfectly, a gorgeous slab of Genesis influenced music twelve minutes plus in length. It is, btw, Genesis at their most reflective and pastoral. Think of the quieter passages in One For The Vine, and you will be about spot on. In fact, the similarities are so close, I imagine some might accuse Hart of being a retro artist, and nothing else, but that wouldn't be an altogether fair criticism.

The album never really moves beyond second gear, and is deeply insular and reflective. That is not, though, to take away from the fact that it is very well played, and is just about perfect listening for those moments in life when you want it quiet and introspective.

This album is still available from those nice chaps at Prog Rock Records, Wales, via Amazon, and is strongly recommended for those of you who like it quiet and thoughtful.

Four stars for this. Really rather good, and a fine addition to any prog collection.

Guess whose painting was used for this album? Well, I surely wouldn't have guessed, but the answer is Annie Haslam, the vocalist of Renaissance. I AND THOU is a one-timer project of Jason Hart, an American musician who has, among other things, played keyboards on tours of Camel and Renaissance. There you have the Haslam connection.

This is such a fine and pleasant prog album that it's a pity there haven't been follow-ups for this project. Hart spent years making this album and he recruited co- musicians from established prog circles, from bands such as IZZ. Hart himself not only plays keyboards but also some trumpet and percussion. He is responsible for compositions, producing -- and main vocals. His voice is rather tender (a bit comparable to Simon & Garfunkel, or the ballad side of The Alan Parsons Project) but not too weak at all.

Four of the five pieces are fairly extended on this hour- long album, and they flow very elegantly. The keyboards are naturally the most dominating instrument, and the best sonic reference -- both in my opinion and in the preceding reviews here -- is the quartet-era Genesis, ie. A Trick of the Tail and Wind & Wuthering, and to some extent also the solo debut A Curious Feeling (1979) by Tony Banks. Just listen to the 16+ minute 'Hide and Seek' and you understand all the praises for the beauty of this music. If you're fond of peaceful and pastoral Genesis songs like 'Mad Man Moon' or 'One for the Vine', you most likely will enjoy this album.

The shorter final piece 'Go or Go Ahead' is a Rufus Wainwright cover, and in a perfect harmony with everything heard before it. It's delicately sung by Steve Hogarth of Marillion, backed by the sparkling piano, acoustic guitar, glockenspiel and gentle waves of synths.

An excellent discovery for those enjoying romantic and peaceful prog: the quartet-era Genesis, Anthony Phillips, Camel, Renaissance. Even the eventual risk of sounding too similar with the seventies' classics is avoided. Five stars and a friendly smile!