INCANTATIONS

Mike Oldfield

Crossover Prog

3.96 | 556 ratings

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ZowieZiggy
Prog Reviewer

Three years for a double album. This is the time between the great "Ommadawn" and this (not so great) double album.

This is still good music, but Mike seems a bit out of steam and the repetition of the same recipe begins to be more difficult to accept. This work sounds as a collection of his first three albums.

There are plenty of enjoyable parts in here. Beautiful fluting, perfect melodies, ambient and relaxing moments. But was it necessary to develop these ideas on a double album format? I don't think so. "Incantations" could have reached the quality of its great predecessors if it were reduced to a more classic one LP form.

Part two is my favourite movement of the whole. It doesn't hold the trumpets nor the tribal "vocals" of part one which couldn't appeal to me. It is at times truly brilliant and magical. Oldfield at his best IMHHO. More vocals oriented but the choir work and even more the excellent work of his sister Sally adds another dimension to these incantations.

Part three is really close to "Ommadawn". A little too much. Inspiration is a bit "short" I'm afraid. The loop has been looped and Oldfield will pass on to other sounds/concepts in his future work (but not always for the best).

I guess that it is better not to listen to this work in its entirety, but one piece or two is a pretty good exercise (and in this case two and three should be recommended). The end of the third movement is one of my fave parts. Bombastic and powerful.

But no parts are weak. As such, it is a more balanced effort than "Tubular Bells" for instance. I can still understand that some listener won't be overwhelmed with the long and repetitive vibraphone passage during the fourth part of this album but once you'll get over it, you'll be rewarded.

"Incantations" while not exceptional is still a pleasant album and Oldfield fans of his first (golden?) period shouldn't be too much disillusioned. Three stars.

ZowieZiggy | 3/5 | 2008-1-20

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