AZURE D'OR

When it comes to production, this isn't very far from the previous album Song For All Seasons, but musically the step down is notable. Synth-loaded pop direction frankly began with SFAS, but it still was a strong album with plenty of progressive elements. Imagine an album completely in the manner of the bright light hit 'Northern Lights' and the syrupy 'She's Love' (sung terribly by John Tout) from SFAS, and you'll get the picture. Well, since I mentioned Tout as a vocalist, here he sings 'Only Angels Have Wings', similarily cheesy musical-style ballad, only this time with a ridiculous synth arrangement. Even if I don't remember some tracks at all (I owned the vinyl over two decades ago), my bet is that this particular song was the ugliest, while some were simply totally forgettable, Q.E.D.

Annie Haslam's angelic voice doesn't fail, but with the sweet poppy nature of the album, she can't save it from being a let-down to fans of their more symphonic output.

There are some tracks that maybe could make a half of another fairly good SFAS sort of album, if the rest was proggier. 'Jekyll & Hyde' is a dramatic up-tempo song that opens the album promisingly, and the next happy little song 'The Winter Tree' is OK. 'Forever Changing' and 'Kalynda' are peaceful nice tracks, nothing more. But when you get to the highlight of the last track 'Flood at Lyons' which manages to sound bold and symphonic in five minutes, there has been too much of plastic and zaccharine all over, and too many throwaway songs. 2½ stars.