A CHILD IN THE MIRROR

This album has a serene quality that sort of drifts by while I listen to it. Opening with an instrumental named after the band itself, it is immediately apparent that this group is composed of very talented individuals who did their homework concerning 70s prog101. With a Hammond organ providing the main melodies combined with busy flute soloing and electric guitar work, this piece combines Jethro Tull, Renaissance and Gentle Giant into this somewhat folksy stew with a generous helping of melodies.

With the flute used as a main instrument throughout the album, the Renaissance feel of this effort is already in effect, but it reaches a completely new level once Evangelia Kozoni adds her vocals to the mix, with a lilt and singing style that conjures images of the days when everyone rode horses and used arrows to kill people instead of guns. It almost sounds like a sort of "new age" prog with a bit of a Mediterranean vibe nestled into the mix. It's refreshing at first, and pretty interesting, but by around somewhere during the fourth track I was really looking for a break from all the Hammond organ and flute noodling. They sound pleasant enough for periods of time, but I never realized until listening to Ciccada for the first time how annoying those instruments can become if played continually and excessively. Sheesh. An Endless Sea was a breath of fresh air with its sweet piano melodies and a surprising bit of "rockin' out" by the guitars, and I hope they pursue this path just a little bit more, even if it's not as distinctive as their general sound through most of this creation.

This is not an album I can play from beginning to end without needing a serious pause...maybe it's just something I'm not used to. The playing prowess is excellent, the melodies are diverse and quite complex at times, the singing is very pleasing to the ears, and there was plenty of thought put into these compositions and lyrics; nothing felt like a rush job. Still, all those busy flute & Hammond organ passages can be a chore for me to deal with; I suppose nothing a good mug of fine mead wouldn't cure.