THE LADDER

Later Yes albums are often criticised for having a less progressive sound and being dominated by the songwriting of Jon Anderson more than a group effort. For Talk and Open Your Eyes this was definitely an issue but here on The Ladder the music is once again closer to Yes in their Prog days. By know means does it sound like the early 70's but comparisons can definitely made between this and albums like Tormato and Drama. The opener Homeworld (The Ladder) is in my opinion the finest song the group have brought out since the Keystudio years with all the energy you expect from Yes when they are in full creative flow. It also showcases some more unusual influences such as an African flavour to Can I? a sequel to Fragile's We Have Heaven. Lightning Strikes is also an unusual song with dance and 90's pop influences. Jon Anderson is on great form vocally all through, as is Chris Squire with some fantastic vocal harmonies that still sound as fantastic as they always have. Steve Howe's guitar work is more interesting than it had been in Yes for a long while (even in comparison to Keys To Ascension) with his usual unpredictable playing style. Billy Sherwood also makes great contributions instrumentally, with Igor Khoroshev his usual flamboyant self on this one.

Overall this album is constantly intriguing and shows that though Yes may know longer be the band they were 40 years ago they can still produce fantastic progressive music that is enjoyable to any long time Yes listener.