SEVEN

On Magenta's second album, Seven, Rob Reed and Christina Booth continued where they left off with their stunning debut, Revolutions. Reed continues to be a master of catchy melodies and hooks, yet retaining the traditional arrangements of accessible progressive rock. Christina delivers a masterful performance. I would argue that at present, she may be the best female vocalist in progressive rock today, at least on par with Annie Haslam and Mariela Gonzalez.

Reed continued to honor his predecessors in the genre by paying tribute with clear influences scattered throughout this album. Obvious ones to listen out for include Yes and Genesis prominently, plus Pink Floyd, Renaissance, Mike Oldfield, Camel, and probably others that I haven't picked up on. He again shows a strong Steve Howe style to his guitar work. Lyrically, Steve Reed (Rob's brother) tackles the seven deadly sins in each of these seven songs on this album called "Seven." Notice the concept? He does an exceptional job here, though I have to admit that I've had some difficulties comparing them with what I took the sins to mean. It wasn't until I read the details behind each song from the Magenta web site that I could really understand the different slants and interpretations they took on these. If you're interested, I highly suggest checking their site out.

Again, this is a bonafide, genuine masterpiece. The songs are generally shorter than on Revolutions, but I feel they're both equally amazing works as I've regularly enjoyed devoting equal time listening to both. Very highly recommended classic and masterpiece well deserving of five stars.