CRAFTY HANDS

HAPPY THE MAN is one of the most underrated classic prog bands and probably the most interesting 70s prog band to come from the United States. They had a unique, quirky sound, and wrote technical yet melodic instrumentals, with few lyrical songs. They weren't commercial like KANSAS or STYX, but a 100% prog band. If they had been able to release more albums and get more promotion from their record label, they could have been a bigger name today like VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR or GENTLE GIANT.

Crafty Hands is my favorite album of theirs, an underrated classic. While nothing on this album is as adventurous or frenetic as "Mr. Mirror's Reflections on Dreams" or "New York Dream's Suite", Crafty Hands more than makes up for it being a more polished, consistent, well crafted album while still retaining some of the dreamy atmosphere of their self-titled debut. The musicianship on here is incredible yet restrained, as if they were playing for the song, not showing off as much. Almost every song on this album is an instrumental, "Wind Up Doll Day Wind" being the only song with lyrics, and Stanley Whitaker's subpar vocals I think makes it the weakest song of the album although still a good song. That aside, the rest of the album is a masterpiece from start to finish, my personal favorites being "Service With a Smile", "Ibby it Is", "Steaming Pipes", and "Open Book".

I highly recommend this album to fans of eclectic and symphonic prog bands like GENESIS and GENTLE GIANT. This may be one of the greatest US prog albums ever released.

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