SIA

It's with a heavy heart that I write this review. Solstice is one of my favorite part time prog collectives and some of their past albums are stellar. Particularly the environmentally apocalyptic masterpiece that came out in 2013 titled Prophesy. That album sported doomsday lyrics fitted to some of the most emotionally charged music that has ever been put forward on such a gloomy subject, but the album ended on an optimistic high note lyrically, musically and spiritually.

What separates that album from this new one is the exit of singer Emma Brown, who is replaced by newcomer Jess Holland. Holland does possess a fine sounding instrument in her voice with a good vocal range that is always pitch perfect. But I'm afraid that the band's songwriter and guitarist Andy Glass got a bit too smitten with Holland's vocal abilities. This resulted in songs with numerous over dubbed backing vocals by Holland, but I'm afraid was done at the expense of the music. Missing are the the counter melodies of Jenny Newman's violin and of Glass's impeccable guitar solos. I'm not sure what prompted this extreme interest in Holland's vocals for this album as the departed Emma Brown was a fantastic singer in her own right. What also drives the music down is the band focusing on funky R&B styled bass and drum grooves for the mini epics "Shout", "Stand Up" and "Seven Dreams".The rhythmic duo of Pete Hemsley on drums and Robin Philips on bass don't possess a sense of swing and sound way too stiff for this type of material. Keyboardist Steven McDaniel fairs better on electric piano and organ, but his roll is largely of support. Glass does breakout some smoldering lead guitar on the slow paced "Seven Dreams", showing that he can still mesmerize as well as showing what's missing in the other songs.

The more folky acoustic guitar numbers like "Long Gone" and the first half of "A New Day", while showing off Holland's over dubbed vocal charms, sound like something from an early seventies Crosby, Stills and Nash album. Provided that they had a female lead. It's alright in its place, but this type of laid-back folk rock with idyllic hippie sentiments sounds far too outdated for the 21st Century.

I've always liked what Andy Glass and company have done, but I hope they bring back their majestic gloom and doom prog. They're better at it.