CRAFTY HANDS

Crafty Hands which is almost all instrumental (like "Happy The Man") features some very good songs of which "Service With A smile" which is a powerful opener very much Genesis oriented. In those days, when one went to a record store to buy an album, most of the time the first track was played for about twenty seconds and the judgment had to be done. Either buy it or leave it. Well done guys.

Some Trespass-esque flavour with Morning Sun is of course welcome but it lacks in originality. At times, the music is somewhat repetitive ("Ibby It Is") but some pieces do stand out like "Steaming Pipes" which is one of my fave out here. When "Yes" meets "King Crimson". Maybe not the most original either, but the offering from this band has never been my most beloved one, so I just take the pleasure where it sits. And it doesn't sit at every corner of their work as far as I'm concerned.

There is no real masterpieces on this album. Average ("Open Book") to good songs ("Wind Up Doll Day Wind", the only track with vocals). I have still to fight while listening to "I Forgot To Push It". Its jazz mood is not very welcome to my ears, I can't help. It is very noisy and dull. The kind of "press next" song IMO.

The closing track offers some more emotion. Ambient and sweet, it contrasts beautifully with the previous song. Not that it blows me away because its structure is pretty basic; but it offers at least some hope for better things to come.

This album is not crafted enough. Three stars.