OUT OF THE WOODS

Neal is a very skilled arranger. This album serves up a string of blissful layer cakes of synth and acoustic guitar timbres. It's a sonic paradise that often evokes pastoral Genesis. He keeps things mellow but uplifting most of the time. The opener "Storm" is in slow triple time with a narrated poem and wordless soprano. It has gorgeous harmonic development at the end. Reverberating piano chords open "September" and piano and strings are featured along with evocative 12-string guitar ostinatos. In "The Way through the Woods" an eerie piano figure develops into a moderato, martial 4/4 groove with staccato arco strings. "Boaters" has a very pretty subdued opening. The bass pedals under melancholy 6/8 sound great. The longest track on the album, "The Lake," develops into more rocking territory with synth lead floursihes. After a long pastoral stretch and some effective mellotron choir swells, it ends big with bass pedals. "On the Idle Hill of Summer" is pensive music with text about going into battle and features convincing solo cello. In the soldier, a ladies' choir accompanies a narrated poem about a dying soldier. The album ends with "Winter Falls," big textured music with soaring melodies.