DUKE

The last album with the old Genesis sound, but mostly dulled and dumbed down. This album mostly ranges from the forgettable (Turn It on Again, Man of Our Times) to the cringeworthy (Misunderstanding -- not the worst song Genesis ever wrote, that would be I Can't Dance or Invisible Touch in my opinion. but maybe the biggest sell-out). Behind the Lines is a fine rock song, but lacks an instrumental part, though it segues into Dutchess which starts out as an instrumental. It's a rather minimalist one, though, a pretty good listen, but nothing special. Heathaze is another pretty tune, gently sung by Collins, but again, nothing special. Finally, after almost a whole album of this bland mediocrity, we get the excellent throwback instrumental of Duke's Travels, which recalls Unquiet Slumbers for the Sleepers/In That Quiet Earth in the way it starts with a slow, ethereal intro which segues into a fast, intense section with lots of virtuosity on display. It's really a poor man's version, though, if you compare the two back-to-back, but it's the best we get here. Finally, we finish with an instrumental wrap-up that combines the Behind the Lines and Turn It on Again themes without adding anything new or exciting. I'm going to have to give this one 3 stars on the strength of Duke's Travels alone, but it's a low 3, and not even my favorite 80's Genesis.