SLOW DANCE

All my fellow prog colleagues reviewing this masterpiece are right on target! Firstly, Ant is one of the first and bravest prog artist, with a long history of daring attempts at breaking new ground, some succesful , some less so. From typical pastoral Brit Folk (The Geese & the Ghost") , the whimsical Brit Prog of "Wise" and "Sides" , the sci-fi Prog of "1984" and of course, the massive Private Parts anthology (containing piano only, 12 String only, Synth only, acoustic duets, solos etc..) , this shy, stagefright stricken, very English, cricket loving & ultimately charming prog icon has constantly kept true to his word of doing things his way. "Slowdance" cannot be compared to any of his previous work, simply because it's as close to real symphonic classical music as one could hope to hear in progland. Including orchestral arrangements has not always been a success because of the clash of egos between virtuoso "rockers" and a dedicated group of "serious" music professionals! Why this recording overcomes all the misconceptions is entirely due to Ant's dedication to compose a extensive piece of music that caters to HIS strenghts and HIS vision. Hence, his 12 string guitar stills is the baton wielding conductor, adding lush orchestrations, with glimpses of oboe & flutes , held together with astute use of different keyboards , including various synths which is most courageous under the circumstances. This is a 2 part melancholic suite with a central delicate melody, interweaving pastoral segments with appropriate grandeur where deemed necessary.

Never overtly complex for the sheer sake of being "pro" , Ant prefers to keep things "prog" , in his own special way. Even though "Slowdance" is right on the edge of classical music, this nevertheless remains an album of inspired themes, grandiose playing and thorough enjoyment. Obviously, our more agressive progfans might not find this to be their cup of tea, they must realize that we are talking about Anthony Phillips and this is nor wallpaper music nor is it Dream Theater. This remains my favorite Sunday morning album of all time.

4.5 rhythmic embraces