JON ANDERSON & THE BAND GEEKS: TRUE

This latest offering by Jon and his Band Geeks is a TRUE delight! To be honest, as much as I appreciate Jon's vocals and lyrics going clear back to the beginnings of Yes, I have mixed emotions about much of his recent solo albums as they have leaned a bit too far into the world music sphere for my personal taste. But this album, although it has flashes of these world elements here and there, is fixed firmly back into the prog realm.

It strikes me a bit fitting, being as Yes with "Mirror to the Sky", has demonstrated that they have the potential to produce some pretty decent prog without Jon, that herein, Jon convincingly proves he can move forward successfully in the prog universe when he wants to without Yes. It's not to say that while these new tracks do feel fresh and unique, that there are not ghosts and elements of the Yes experience laced throughout. But, it's just enough to create a sense of familiarity. Be assured that this is only a tip of the hat to the past and not merely repeating it. There will be some further observations on this in the song notes.

It has to be mentioned that Jon's voice is as strong as it has ever been. He's still quite able to fly over the stronger musical sections, and his ballad vocals are as intimate as ever. Additionally, he has surrounded himself with a group of very talented musicians that have not only competently been able to play the old classics, but are able to compose some very exciting new prog arrangements. Clearly, they can not only play like Yes did, but think like them, compose in the same fashion, and expand on it. This is no small accomplishment and bodes well for future projects.

Jon's lyrics here are creative, whimsical, and enchanting as one would expect. His creativity in this department still captivates and pulls the listener in. Sometimes the meanings are obvious, but just as often, they are wide open to personal interpretation, something that I have always appreciated. And as a final opening thought on the album, the production is pristine. The instruments are all clear, evident, and separated. As such, at times, the separate instrument tracks, although part of a unified whole, play as if they are disembodied streams of music sewn together, sometimes harmoniously, sometimes discordantly, but always with marvelous and engaging effect.

So, without further ado, the songs?

TRUE MESSENGER: This opener starts with a nice acoustic guitar at a mid pace, and Jon immediately joining in. From the start it is clear his voice is in peak condition. Within 45 seconds there is full band participation, and at a minute builds to full intensity. This no ballad, and there are tempo changes and lead instrument trades a plenty. Some nice lead guitar at the half way point and towards the end. This has the feel that it would fit well on the Yes album "Talk". While this is not a favorite era of many Yes fans, I rather like it and think it was under rated, and this track for me is a powerful and exciting start! (10/10)

SHINE ON: This one starts with a brief a cappella opening and I almost instantaneously associated it with the Yes "90125" era and thought this track would sit nicely after the track "Leave It" on that album. That being said, this has a fresh sound and with some really nice ascending and descending base and lead guitar sequences. Nice synth work underneath throughout. Another propelled song with great drumming, and Jon is singing over the top in grand style. Another great track! (10/10)

COUNTIES AND COUNTRIES: The second longest track clocking in at 9:51, and it's a good one. Opens with a nice strong guitar and synth intro with marching style drumming. The division of the instrument tracking is really nice here. Much of it has a strong Yes flavor of their older works, although there does seem to be some of the flavor of their "magnification" album as well. Jons lyrics and cadence of the verses is in great form. There is also good backing vocals that are very Yes reminiscent. The end has a superb build up with some soaring synths, with a final drop off and fade out. Fabulous, three in a row! (10/10)

BUILD ME AN OCEAN: Sudden change of pace with a soft stripped down ballad, featuring piano and acoustic guitar, highlighting Jon's vocal talents. Once again, there is nice backing vocals. This is a good change of pace and sits well in the play list of the album given the intensity of the three opening tracks. Pretty uniform in sound throughout with a slight build up of instruments towards the end, but not much, but it is a short track after all. (8/10)

STILL A FRIEND: This picks the pace right back up, very lyric forward. Instrumentally up beat but not as proggy as the previous first three tracks. A bit more accessible falling somewhere between the Yes eras of "Open Your Eyes" musically and "Magnification" vocally and lyrically. Kind of reminds me of the track "Don't Go" but more on the rock side rather than on the pop side. This fits well with the first three tracks but isn't as complex. (8/10)

MAKE IT RIGHT: Starts out in a ballad style with a gradual build up for a little over half the track and then grows in intensity with restrained guitar work. Towards the end there is a 'gospel' vocalization that is short but interesting. A fairly simple structured song, but enjoyable. Jon's vocals shine, the lyrics are inspiring, and the guitar lifts it up. The flavor seems to align with some of Jon's earlier solo work before the world music sound took deep root. (8/10)

REALIZATION PART TWO: A nice mid tempo accessible track, more pop than prog, catchy lyrics and chorus. While it's clearly an Andersen inspirational type composition, I kept getting an island vibe, almost Jimmy Buffet or Beach Boys or something. Strange, but not unlikeable. Probably the world music vibe creeping in. As is, this song is also well placed as its simplicity gives us a respite for the epic that is next. (8/10)

ONCE UPON A DREAM: This one clocks in at 16:31 and is worthy of every second it possesses. The opening vocal brings to mind the opening vocal sequence from the TFTO track the "revealing Science of God". Different but as effective. In fact, this track is uniquely new and original, but at the same time, all through it there are subtle and perhaps not so subtle allusions to Jon's previous work with Yes. There is definitely lyric structures that draw on the flavors of "90125", "TFTO", and "Magnification", and specific wording such as "going to the heart of the sunrise". The conclusion reminds one of "Brother of Mine" in its vocal and musical build up, that it is a big, impressive finish that pays off well. Instrumentally, this band can be chameleon like and sound like Howe, Squire, Wakeman, Rabin, and White with ease and they do it well. Yet, as previously mentioned, they do it in a way that is fresh and exciting, and they have their own modern interpretation of the past. There are surely more parallels, no pun intended, that I am missing, but you can discover them for yourself. Another really great track! (10/10)

THANK GOD: A nice soft closer, a bit more up tempo and complex than a ballad, but still in that realm. Pretty, but a bit syrupy for my taste. (7.5/10)

I can't help walking away from this album without thinking Jon and his band really had to have had a great amount of pleasure in putting these songs together. What a great tribute to the past, but with a whole new spin and resurgence of ideas. The first three tracks and the epic near the end are clearly inspired efforts, but the rest is strong as well. It's truly a pleasure to see Jon produce such a brilliant album at this point in his career. This one checks all the boxes: If you are a Jon Andersen fan, If you are a Yes fan, if you are a prog fan, this is a must have for your collection. A strong 4+ star effort!