It has taken significantly less time for Steve Balsamo (vocals) and Robert Reed (keyboards, drum programming, guitars, bass) to return with their third album than before, as it has only been five years since ‘The Empathy Machine’, and that had taken 14 years from the debut. They have again brought in multiple guests, and as well as Ged Lynch (drums), Guy Pratt (bass) and Neil Taylor (guitar) we have a further six singers, including the wonderful Christina Booth. I gave the last album a high rating, even though there were parts of it I really didn’t enjoy at all, and now those elements are more to the fore, creating something where I can appreciate the quality of what has been produced, it is just that there is much here I don’t like.
In many ways this is one of the hardest types of reviews to write, as while all critics attempt to be objective, all we are doing is giving our opinion which will always be subjective to some extent. The album is wonderfully produced and played, all the singers are remarkable, yet much of this material is not something I would ever play out of choice. It is not so much a prog/pop hybrid as we had before, and something which in many ways has gone much more into pop territory with just a few prog touches here and there. True, this is much more about pop when it was about musicians and singers as opposed to autotune and computers, but it is rare for me to want to play this style of music for pleasure. Steve’s vocals are excellent, I have been raving about Robert for more than 30 years, the arrangements are wonderful, but this is just not for me.
Some singles have been released ahead of the album, including covers such as “The Air That I Breathe” (where Balsamo’s vocals are amazing), “Wichita Lineman” and “Every 1’s a Winner”. I must confess I vehemently disliked that song when Hot Chocolate released it in 1978, and this does nothing to change my opinion. I did have some hopes for “The Secret Wish” which started as “Tubular Bells”, and did contain some elements throughout, but sadly it was something quite different. Overall, this is a release which may introduce some pop fans into the world of Robert, where there is indeed much to explore, and allow progheads to hear him perform in a very different manner while Balsamo is a great singer, but this is not for me.
