FIRST UTTERANCE

"First utterance" may be qualified as a progressive folk rock album containing TONS of quality acoustic guitar and excentric male & female vocals. The first album I have got from Comus is "To keep from crying", which i like very much. When I discovered their "First utterance" album, I was astonished by how different the album is compared to their other record: the style here is rather unique: I try to compare them to Jethro Tull, Focus or even PFM, but it is hard to find significant links. Let us say the tracks here are a bit unequal, so that some are really impressive, like "The Herald" and "The Bite", while others are less good, like the unnecessary "Bitten".

"Diana" is one of the worst tracks here: the irritating voices do not help, and the composition seems to go nowhere. "The Herald" track is divided into 3 distinctive parts, each lasting around 4 minutes; the first one contains delicate and Oldfield-esque acoustic airs and arrangements embellished by the SUPERB voice of Bobbie Watson, reminding Sally Oldfield; the second one is made of ethereal & delicate woodwind instruments with some excellent acoustic guitar and strings arrangements; in the third one, the graceful, charming & childish voice of Bobbie Watson reappears: this part is OUTSTANDING, like the 2 previous ones. "Drip drip" contains quality acoustic guitar parts, but the male vocals are quite annoying; the mix of the percussions of the tam-tam family and the violins is interesting; there is a part that sounds like if you play acoustic guitars in front of a fireplace while people make fiesta shouts. "Song to Comus" has a good rhythm; the flutes, the violins and the tam-tams contribute to produce an elaborated composition; the only bad point is the irritating male vocals again. The catchy "The Bite" is a very good track full of pleasant violins, acoustic guitars and flutes. "Bobbie Watson" sings very well on "The prisoner", a very good progressive track full of tam-tams.