HIGHLY STRUNG

I'm sorry to say, I turned my back on Steve Hackett's solo work after "Cured", and ignored this album, having become much more interested in improvisation and rock forms that incorporated the same; it didn't help that Genesis had gone off the deep end with pop music. When Hackett co-formed GTR I heard some of the radio arena work and confirmed my belief that another career had lost its way into pop music.

Fast forward to 2018, when a recommendation brought me to "Beyond the Shrouded Horizon", a surprisingly sophisticated and embraceable album that clearly fits the prog tradition, but also showed Hackett's interest in a variety for forms. I started mining forward and backward to discover that "Highty Strung" was the start of the 'recovery' of his real interests. With a real band, improved vocals, and songs that didn't make me shudder, there's a lot to like on this album. "Camino Royale" immediately grabs the listener with strong melodies and great instrumental work. I'm not a fan of "Cell 151" or "Walking Through Walls", and some of the heavier beats and more anthemic work on the album leave me cold, but I find a number of interesting songs and, more importantly, hope, on this album.