BROKEN CHINA

3.5 stars more acurately. This complex, and ultimately creative album can be described in a single word: moody. The tone and feeling from the majority of the music here is heavy, and you really have to pay attention to get the full 'feel' of what is going on here. There is no 'fluff' or filler here, and easily accessible this album is not, but rather it is a very deep inspection of one man's soul, that of Rick Wright, and the depression his wife suffer's through.

At times extremely claustrophobic, and frequently melancholic, I am reminded first and foremost of Leonard COHEN when I listen to Richard WRIGHT sing on "Broken China". WRIGHT often uses his keyboards to kind of layer his music rather than play any specific melody. It's also very hard NOT to make sombre music when you use instruments like the cello and oboe.

For what it's worth, this album is a rewarding listen IF you can stay deeply focused for the entire hour's worth of listening. And you definitely have to be in the right 'frame of mind', because driving or party music this is not. Think ENYA on anti-depressants and you are nearer the mark.

I hate Sinead O'Connor, and much to my chagrin she appears prominently on two different tracks on this album (Ironically, I do like her performance on Peter Gabriel's "Us" however). Considering half of the pieces on this album are instrumentals, O'Connor's presence on the very few vocal tracks is all that more troublesome.

Rick Wright redid his song 'Breakthrough' on Dave Gilmour's 2002 Meltdown concert. His vocals, and Gilmour's guitar parts make that version infinitely more enjoyable than this studio album version. There is great bass work on 'Satellite' and some annoying dance-music influence on 'Runaway'. All in all, "Broken China" is conceptual brilliant (see FloydWright's passionate review of this album for the definitive meaning of its concept) right on down to the Storm Thorgerson CD artwork. Musically however, it is way too inaccessible to the average listener, and it's continuous dark, sombre and moody musical themes will alienate the more impatient among us. "Broken China" is the Yin to Rick Wright's debut album Yang ("Wet Dream").