A JUG OF LOVE

A solid four stars for this wonderful second Mighty baby album. Quite different in style compared to the first psychedelic (and also excellent) first album. The instrumentation is very pure, mainly guitar/piano. "Jug of love", the eponym opening track is a good example: a mellow and upbeat tune, sweet waves of guitar/piano with a fluid and spacey quality similar to QUINTESSENCE, without the religious, mystic fervor. "The Happiest Man in the Carnival" is another highlight, lot of guitar/piano/flute extatic moments and there's no doubt about the proginess! Cherry on the cake, singing is very pleasant and soft, with a tone which evokes Rick Wright at times. The general mood is hippy, meditative, and sligthly upbeat. A fantastic aerial feeling somewhere between QUINTESSENCE and POPOL VUH. "Keep On Juggin'" is another substantial piece with a more groovy bluesy feeling, trippy psychedelic guitar parts betray another major influence from the GRATEFUL DEAD. "Virgin Spring" is a charming evanescent, melancholic tune featuring superb piano/acoustic guitar parts and still that spacey, sound, "planant", as we say in french. Perfect! "Tasting the Life" shows a bluesier, down-to-earth facet of their sound and still featuring great guitar, while "Slipstreams"gently ends the record. The 2006 Sunbeam CD edition i own is good sounding (natural) and features good bonus, alternate and unreleased tracks "(Ancien traveller" is from the first era).