SECOND ALBUM

Curved Air's unimaginatively titled Second Album, for all it's dour melancholy, is an album of full-blown classically influenced prog that features standout ensemble playing, along with much improved vocals from Sonja Kristina. Francis Monkman expands his role on the the VCS-3 synthesizer along with suplying eerie swirls from the mellotron and organ when he's not accompanying Daryl Way'a multi tracked electric violin with some classically tinged piano. Monkman also ups his game in electric guitar playing with both very clean leads and wonderfully distorted chords.

The first five songs are still, more or less, in the verse, chorus, bridge, verse and chorus variety, and are dominated by Way's somber violin or Monkman's funky electric piano, as evidenced on the UK hit "Back Street Love". Again, the emphasis on these songs is on the mood of the music and the somber lyrics that are delivered quite well by Kristina, in a style and sound now reminiscent of Renaissance's Annie Haslam, but clearly lacking Haslam's incredible power and multi octave range.

Where this album gets interesting is with the last three songs penned completely by Monkman that breakout of the standard pop song format and go head long into odd tempos and time signatures. Kristina does well to handle the lyrics and phrasing necessary to stretch over this material without the song's sounding too awkward. Way is in full compliment to Monkman's more jazzy free form vision, as are drummer Florian Pinkington-Miksa and temporary bassist Ian Erye. (It seems that Curved Air went through bass players like Spinal Tap went through drummers.)

This synergy would not last after the group's third album which would go into almost a free form format from the get-go. However, the balance found on Curved Air's Second Album of classical and hard rocking prog would be the best from the first incarnation of this band.

Cleaner and better mixed album production, when compared to the band's debut album Airconditioning, helps to place Second Album close to a four star rating.