TO THE FAR AWAY

Virtuosic guitarist of IONA fame is back with another solo release--this time collaborating with a who's-who of prog nobility--many of whom worked with Dave or Iona in the past.

1. "Sea Gazer" (6:12) simple prog folk with catchy, if too-repetitive melody and fine performances. (8.75/10)

2. "Girl and the Magical Sky" (8:00) opens with poem being read over strummed mandolin. In the second minute band with organ set musical foundation over which multi-tracked voices of Sally Minnear establish a choral base. At 2:35 we break down to simple piano, mandolin, Uilleann pipes and whistles for a bit before scaled down multi-Sally choir rejoins. At the end of the fourth minute it strips down further to just piano and Sally. Beautiful ballad builds from here. bass, keys, background vocals provide gentle support. Then, in the sixth minute organ ramps up and rock band rejoins while Dave expresses himself through a commanding electric guitar solo. Strings, piano, and organ are doing interesting things in the wings. In the eighth minute pipes and Sally-choir return with full church organ to bring the song to a close. (Nice drumming, Frank.) (13.5/15)

3. "Rain and Sun" (4:12) an instrumental in which picked acoustic guitars and mandolin and synth washes are joined by Dave's plaintive solo electric guitar. Haunting melodies and music! Almost Genesisian. Final minute softens to become more orchestral, more IONA-like. (9/10)

4. "Clear Skies" (6:21) ethereal beginning turns into full-on IONA-like prog-rock romp. Interesting piano-with-whistles interlude in the third minute is followed by powerful prog jam in which Dave's electric lead really flames and the drums and bass really excel. A true display of virtuosity from Jon Poole and Frank van Essen! A top three song for me. (9.5/10)

5. "Ghost Light" (14:13) opens with more of Dave's excellent electric guitar lead play--with very little support. In the third minute things quiet down as keys, percussives, and acoustic strings provide subtle, delicate background for Sally's vocal. In the fourth minute as Sally moves into a chorus, the full band joins in but then things quiet down again for her second verse--this time accompanied by mail voice (whom I am going to assume is that of a-credited Iain Hornal). Unfortunately, the chorus is shaped and melodically too similar to an old YES motif. The instrumental section that begins after the second time through the chorus is interesting, as is its followup. Then in the ninth minute Sally is given another, more original approach to the chorus melody and delivery. This is great! Then the band returns, a little slower and more melody-centric, and thn Iain takes a turn in the lead. At the 11-minute mark Dave's wailing lead tears at our heart-strings--simply masterful, gorgeous guitar playing! You might say, if you threw away the first five minutes, this would be a full masterpiece. (26.25/30) 6. "Cathedral Thinkers" (3:09) piano arpeggi and Sally-vocalise open this before drums, bass, and soloing synth join in. Synth and lead electric guitar mirror each other in the second and third minutes. Nice! Very pretty. A very unusual finale with fading electric guitar being supplanted by speed-demon classical grand piano play. (9/10)

7. "To Gain the Ocean" (4:07) feels like the same song as before as the melody is here carried by male vocalist (Iain Hornal) and supported by same arpeggiating piano. In the second verse drums, fretless bass, synth strings, synth glockenspiel, acoustic guitars, and Sally Minnear join in. Absolutely gorgeous tapestry of music! Powerful song! (10/10)

8. "As Night Falls" (1:52) more dulcet wailing JEFF BECK-like guitar, this time with orchestral strings (both acoustic and synth-generated) support. Nice. (4.25/5)

9. "Infinitude (Region of the Stars)" (6:48) opens with slow-shifting strings arrangement which is joined by solo viola at 0:45. Reminds me of music to support some auspicious foggy film scene. The music and violin solo are not unlike those of Ralph Vaughn Williams' "Lark Ascending"--and may, in fact, be modeled after it. Really beautiful and complex. At 4:28 Sally Minnear's distant vocalise joins in, bring more of a human element into the landscape. It is brief, having the effect of turning the beautiful soaring music of joy and achievement into one of failure and sadness. Wow! What an amazing journey we were just taken on! (15/15)

10. "To the Far Away" (4:43) a very traditional Celtic melody turned almost mechanically into a rock song. I can see how this anthemic song could have been chosen as the title song and representative of this stage of Dave's evolutionary path. It is so solid. Almost perfect in a boring kind of way that makes me ashamed to be casting aspersion upon this kind of maturity and mastery. (9/10)

11. "Speed Your Journey" (4:29) Such a fine composition delivered to perfection! Though Sally's involvement is rather minimal it makes such a difference. (9/10)

12. "Fells Point" (2:58) another folk-rock delivery of what feels like old, traditional Celtic melodies. Very cool to have Troy Donockley and Dave (as well as the whistle players) mirroring each other on their respective specialty instruments. (4.5/5)

13. "Something Astonishing" (4:18) beautiful Ant Phillips/Genesis-like 12-string + synth washes opening before organ and lead electric guitar supplant at the end of the first minute. Another melody that could have come from liturgical or Celtic folk traditions here rendered by rock instruments. The final 70 seconds sounds like a fairy-like departure from Avalon over the sea. (9/10)

Total Time 71:22

While I've yet to really find any fault to anything Dave has contributed to, I have to admit to being lulled into a state of numb appreciation for his past albums. They are without question excellent albums with great compositions and stellar performances throughout, it's just that there comes a point where the Iona sound starts to sound homogenous. I really appreciate both the compositional mastery on display here as well as the level of performance commitments demanded of--and delivered by--his collaborators here.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music; highly recommended for all fans of intricately composed and masterfully performed prog.