LES CONTES DU SINGE FOU

Don't let the monkey on the cover fool you - Les Contes du Singe Fou is Clearlight's attempt to get serious. A concept album with a nebulous sci-fi theme, the piece is once again dominated by Cyrille Verdeaux, whose piano is prominent to an extent unparalleled on any previous Clearlight album aside from Clearlight Symphony. Ian Bellamy, bless him, simply isn't as nice to listen to as the wonderful vocalists such as Brigitte Roy or (on loan from Hatfield and the North) Amanda Parsons and Ann Rosenthal who featured on Forever Blowing Bubbles, and overall the music loses the unpredictable and whimsical edge that I associate with Clearlight. It's competently performed but I can't see any good reason to own it.