PAVILIONS OF THE HEART & SOUL

I really want to be a fan of Bill Nelson, to hoist him up with the best of the best. Unfortunately I haven't yet listened to an album that has really knocked my socks off. While a handful have been really good, there's another handful that have been so self indulgent it's a turnoff for me. Some of his later eighties fare have proven this way for me, and Pavilions of the Heart and Soul is a prime example. The music is great - I love instrumental pop/rock that rewards close listening or performs well as background music. This release, as well as the other three that were released in the 4 album set Trial By Intimacy (The Book of Splendours), work well in both areas but when taken as a whole (package, song names, album names and covers etc) they seem like silly sappy attempts to convey spiritual and sexual awakening. Nelson's work is full of angst, which I find works well for him in his contemporary pursuits, but don't suit my listening and aesthetic tastes on works like this. The short instrumental pieces are interesting, and I'm glad I own it, but this isn't about to trip anyone's trigger.