TONY PATTERSON & DOUG MELBOURNE: WE'VE BEEN EXPECTING YOU...

Once very blue moon, a song appears out of the mist and just permeates your mind, humming the darn chorus like a child in a candy store. 'Come to me, my love', as I am a full-fledged sucker for romantic emoting, being a lifelong and devoted Roxy fan. When I heard "Grace", I feel immediately under its spell and fell to my knees in adoration. Now, I have enjoyed Tony Patterson's solo efforts (Equations of Meaning is a classic prog album), or collaborations with Brendan Eyre as well as his recent one with Doug Melbourne, mainly because his voice sort of reminds me of some archangel guy in the earliest days of the Bible.

This album is a collection of nine meaningful songs, deeply emotional as Tony has gone through incredible personal hardship and loss, using music as a healing process, which it certainly always has been. The melodies are scintillating examples of mood, atmosphere and feeling, kept in a relatively simple yet elegant vessel of dense keyboards, electronics and percussives. The focus is not on blazing soloing and braggart instrumental prowess but on maintaining a specific groove, letting the words and voice do the rest. Naturally, with such a seductive voice, the spotlight shines on Patterson's ability to express his inner most pain without resorting to hysterics or overt theatrics, yet in a highly cinematographic, almost film noir feel (a hint is the cover artwork) of underworld cloak and dagger Argy bargy (note: my favourite British word, by a mile), with a sprinkling of mystery, sorrow and seduction.

From the opening chapter "Don't Lose Your Soul", the die is cast, and the journey begins. A swirling lament with sparse instrumentation, the duo create a minimalist platform for some truly soulful world class singing, intense, heartfelt and honest. Soft and gentle, unyieldingly sentimental. The shrilling synth flutter is simply perfect, showing a high level of musicality. With the addition of mellotron, I am conquered there and then. Kalimba-notes emit a distinctive Caribbean feel on "Darkest Hours", a happy go lucky whistler walking on the dock of the bay, palm trees swaying in the nighttime breeze. A cameo piano etude adds a jazzy laid-back serenade to the arrangement, yet the lyrics paint the opposite picture, with torment, despair and sudden solitude in the air tonight expresses with surrender. Brilliant. On "Brighter than the Sun", the proggy pace remains utterly sedate, reflective of having to live under the constant threat of nuclear annihilation that collides with memories where everything looked cheerful and carefree before the tragedy. Suavely orchestrated and symphonic, a sizzling guitar from guest Stuart Colley comes wandering through the haze, brighter than the sun, providing fear and hope in equal doses. A compelling track that somehow comforts profoundly.

Floating on a mesmerizing vocal, "Small Boats" evokes the plight of fleeing refugees risking their lives on flimsy, often overloaded crafts that barely keep afloat, some even sinking with all hands-on board. Escaping persecution, fearing torture and even execution, hungry and afraid, as well as venturing into the unknown. A tragedy of staggering proportions and one faced by this author as a child by courageous parents who fled oppression. Truth is the world was more prepared and organized in 1956 than in the 21st century. Political lack of will and organizational ineptitude are to blame. The beach beckons on "Sandcastles", sonic footprints splashed by the gentle tide, hypnotic and impressive, with a style and vocal that rekindles memories of Sting and white regattas, handclaps in bikinis, daiquiri organ fluttering and the relaxed meandering of leisure and sunshine. Jazzy and pulsating. The mellotron-laced anthem "Grace" is a song for the ages, one that I fully intend to return to for inspiration and perhaps even salvation. If you can't find love in life, at least it can flourish in music. A tremendous anthem of lost shadows, beaming smiles, soaring emotions and an eternal yearning for affection. The genuinely heartfelt vocal is not only first-rate, but it also veers right into the soul like Cupid's arrow of love. Tony knows what a feeling passion really is. Masterful guitar solo by Steve Brown to seal the fate. Back to the sandy shore, crashing waves and squawking seagulls on "Oceans Apart", as well as a connection with "Small Boats", a mournful organ surge pointing at a scattered sadness, an ornate piano in the wavering spotlight. Another impossibly beautiful melody, and the impeccable interweaving of tracks into an entirety of reflection is an ear opener that surely cannot go unnoticed.

Perhaps an ideal James Bond theme of the future, "Spies" has all the dynamics of a 007 thriller, laden with lace, pace, seduction, action and thrills (pussy) galore, occasional wordplay, lots of casino innuendo, friend and foe, morse code PPK, and when the brass kicks in, John Barry must surely be smiling up in Secret Service heaven. The original snippets are clever and clearly an homage. Killer track, spectral? A sonic extravaganza on the finale, "Heal" is the definition of cool, chill music with dense electronics, a relatively minimalistic groove where mood and atmosphere dominate the restoring process, Tony's raspy voice nevertheless elevates easily into loftier sweetness, as the panacea kicks in. Dealing with pain and loss is the price humanity pays for caring and loving, where patience, fortitude, courage and devotion will always rule the day. The cinematic arrangement has just the right amount of pomp and ceremony to find the way to happiness. Eventually?

With sterling production values, profound sensibilities expressed with confidence, and lush melodies so attractive it boggles the mind, we have 9 gorgeous songs, each and everyone a highlight, a precious sonic gem, with enough sonic diversity to keep the listener hooked, lined and sinkered, whatever that means! 5 Patience patients

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