TILL WE HAVE FACES

They can't all be winners. Such is the case for Steve Hackett's Till We Have Faces. The short summary is "it's an album." The long story is, for me personally, this is easily some of Hackett's worst material, yes, lower than Cured. Say what you will about Steve Hackett's misguided attempt to navigate the 80's and its shift towards a more plastic, artificial sound, at least Cured had some good ideas, and Highly Strung almost nailed it. Till We Have Faces at times borders on unlistenable, and it's mostly due to Steve Hackett trying to sing exclusively in high notes. If you can call what's on here singing.

"What's My Name" starts off promising enough. It opens with an exotic percussion section, and sticks around for the song. It sets the rhythm quite well, up until Steve Hackett starts shout singing his way through it. The instrumental is sadly wasted by Steve's singing.

"The Rio Connection" is one of the better songs on this album. Here, Steve gets his funk on, and honestly, I kind of wish he tried more of this on the album. No vocals here, just pure, funky instrumental.

"Matilda Smith-Williams Home For The Aged" has a really long title, and at 8 minutes it's the longest song on the album. Upon first listening, your instinct will probably say "Wait a minute, this sounds like a sequel to Camino Royale." While not a direct sequel, it has the same familiar sound to Camino Royale. Funnily enough, Steve would eventually work parts of this song into Camino Royale, thus giving that song a more complete and finished sound. As for the song on this album, it's fine. It's the closest thing to prog.

"Let Me Count The Ways" sees Steve get his soul on. Steve's never been much for soul, but rather blues rock. Steve's singing is once again, detrimental to this song. As far as the instrumental goes, Steve's guitar work is just as good as ever, but the rest of the instrumental is nowhere near as immaculate.

"A Doll That's Made In Japan" opens up using almost every traditional Japanese instrument Steve can think of before he gets to the 80's. It's a very kitschy, and dated song, right up there with Turning Japanese. I will say, Steve's singing is actually tolerable on this song because he's not shout singing. The song is kind of ruined by the synth lines, because otherwise it's fine.

"Duel" is based on the film Duel. Steve's standard register is present on the vocals for this song, and thank god, because it's the strongest part of this track. The instrumental itself is really synthetic, right down to the midi bass. And that's why I'm not a fan of this song. For a movie about a car chases, all the fun and intensity is sucked out of the song, not even Steve's wicked solo can save it.

"Myopia" is... a song. It exists. I wish it didn't. Every artist has one bad one in them, but this is on a whole new level. Steve's singing is at its worst and most abrasive, the instrumental is just as loud and abrasive. This sounds like a blueprint for what would eventually be Jane's Addiction. Yes, when I listen to this song, I hear Jane's Addiction, not Steve Hackett. The only positive I can say is it's less than three minutes.

"Taking The Easy Way Out" is meant to be a pretty ballad, but it feels more like a song designed to put you to sleep. Steve brings some beautiful synth lines, and classical guitar together, but really doesn't go anywhere with it. I'm one of those people who will usually defend Steve's slower tunes, but this is genuinely dull.

"Gulf" sees Steve going for something understated in the hopes of making a song with a point. It starts off with a classical guitar, and sounds more genuine, but then the synth kicked in and robbed the song of any sort of agency it may have had in trying to send a message. Steve tries to get back to what he does best, guitar solos, and I'll be real, it does work. Up until the end when a more upbeat sounding synth line kicks in. What's the message Steve? What are you trying to convey with this song?

"Stadiums Of The Damned" is an oddball. There are some really odd choices with the synth here, and the lyrics don't really fit the mood. Right down to the drum machine, and the synth, nothing here feels authentic. The worst part is there's barely anything that could qualify as guitar. This just isn't right.

"When You Wish Upon A Star" is an odd choice of song to end on, but it's short. It's skippable.

Till We Have Faces is barely salvageable. With Cured and Highly Strung, I can hear the potential for a commercial sounding Steve Hackett. It's not necessarily a bad proposition, but here's the thing. Steve had a decent sized label when he put those together. This album reads like an artistic meltdown, and I think that's the best summary I can come up with for this album. It's a creative crisis put to songs.