HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

I first came across multi-instrumentalist Chris Herin some 20 years ago when I reviewed the fourth album from Tiles, a band which will always be associated with acclaimed Rush producer Terry Brown. Their last album was in 2016, since when he has joined Discipline and appeared on their latest album, 2017's 'Captives of the Wine Dark Sea'. For the last ten years Chris has watched his father struggle with Alzheimer's, and this album tells of thoughts which have come to him during that period, and part of the proceeds from this release is going to Alzheimer's charities. It is no surprise that this has been produced by Terry Brown (Rush) and Chris has also utilised Grammy award-winning mastering engineer Peter Moore (Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell) while the artwork is by Hugh Syme (Rush). Of course, having that sort of talent behind the desk means there needs to be more in front, so there are nearly thirty musicians, including Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame members Peter Frampton and Alex Lifeson (Rush), plus Martin Barre, John O'Hara, and Doane Perry (Jethro Tull), Michael Sadler (Saga), Kim Mitchell (Max Webster), Cody Bowles and Kevin Comeau (Crown Lands), Jeff Kollman and Shane Gaalaas (Cosmosquad), Tim Bowness (No-Man), Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree), Randy McStine (Steven Wilson), Kevin Chown (Tarja, Chad Smith), Matthew Parmenter (Discipline), Hugh Syme, Johnathan Blake (Kenny Barron), Ben Riley (Mohsen Namjoo), Gary Craig (Bruce Cockburn), David Barrett, Jimmy Keegan (Spock's Beard), and many more.

All this talent is a blessing, but it is also a curse, in that there is little in the way of continuity. For example, the album opens with Michael Sadler's very recognisable vocals on the Saga-like "Warning Signs", but that is the only song he sings on and there are another six lead vocalists, with Matthew Parmenter and Randy McStine getting three each and the others less. Kim Mitchell plays on just one song, Alex Lifeson on another, Frampton on another and so on. It is an incredible list of musicians but the heart and soul has been washed out by the sheer quantity of players which is incredibly frustrating as there are some great songs on here. Take "The Heart of You" (lead vocals/keyboards Terry Sampson, guitars Peter Frampton, Bass Kevin Chown, drums Ben Riley) as an example. This is a lovely art rock/AOR numbers, but it has been smoothed almost out of existence ? where is the fire, the bite, the passion? Everyone does a fine job, but it feels as if it is music by numbers as opposed to something vital and exciting. I must admit I smiled when I realised that John O'Hara, who is a current member of Jethro Tull, does not play on the same track as Martin Lancelot Barre (who should be in Tull) and Doane Perry, but I guess that was never likely to happen.

This is not a bad album, far from it, but if this had been treated more as a band than a project then I am convinced the end result would have been better than it is.