SONGS FROM THE HARD SHOULDER

The Tangent are a jazz-oriented progressive rock band, started in 2002, with an ever-changing roster of players surrounding the consistent presence and guiding force of songwriter-keyboardist -vocalist Andy Tillson. This is the band's 12th album, and contains 3 long-form tracks (17-20 min each) and final short track, each in an entirely different style. The opener, The Changes, deals with life during the pandemic lockdown, and is a fine example of The Tangent's multi-part compositional structure, a very nice track. The next track, GPS Vultures, is a jazz fusion instrumental jam that highlights the jazz instrumental prowess of the band, and is for me, the best track on the album. That is followed by the longest track (at over 20 minutes), The Lady Tied to a Lamp Post, which was the weak spot of the album, as it is repetitive and not musically or lyrically satisfying, and just drags on, bringing down the album. It deals with the homeless, is quite preachy, but doesn't provide much in the way of insight or inspiration. It could have worked as a much shorter song, but at 20 minutes it just becomes annoying. The album closes with a brief soul, R& B number, which is quite different and refreshing after the bummer that precedes it. There is also a bonus track that is available on some versions, a cover and extended version of U.K.'s classic 'In The Dead of Night', which is quite wonderful, as it expands upon and adds some new dimensions and directions to this already great track. If they would have cut down the length of 'Lady' to a reasonable and justifiable length (6-8 minutes) and included the bonus track on the actual album, this would have been a really great album. As it is presented, it is still very good, certainly worth checking out, just be forewarned about that one unworthy track. Best tracks: GPS Vultures, In the Dead of Night. Weak track: The Lady Tied To a Lamp Post. rating: 3.5