NUDE

After two not-so-good albums, Camel, now theoretically reduced to a trio, came up with this conceptual work which, although I would not rate it as a "masterpiece" per PA guidelines, was definitely a step or two forward.

The concept itself, a romanticized version of Japanese soldier HIroo Onoda's story, is told in a beautiful, melodic way. Up to this point, Andy Latimer's vocals had not been the ideal complement to his music (probably the reason why "Music Inpired by The Snow Goose" was such a perfect album). But it seems to me that, as his voice has matured, so have his vocal skills. I especially like his vocals on "City Life" and "Lies" (well, there's actually only a couple more non- instrumental tracks). The music left behind (hopefully forever) that horrible Disco style that was present in the former two albums, favoring a more progressive sound, not the classic seventies prog, but the new decade's version of it.

The 2009 remaster features a live rendition of the album. I do not know if the performance itself or just the actual record is lacking a couple of good instrumental bridge sections, and a couple of sung tracks, including the aforementioned "Lies", which left me at a loss for it. But it still is a welcome thing to listen to the concept album in a live setting.

4 stars!