SEA OF SIGHS

Those familiar with Janus' legendary 1972 album Gravedigger will be in for a surprise with 2002's Sea Of Sighs 30 years on. Early seventies psychedelia gives way to brooding poetic Celtic rock here and is arguably the finest of the 7 Janus albums released since mastermind Colin Orr reformed the band in the late 80s.

The work showcases the contrasting rich cholral tenor of Paul Phoenix with those of 15 year-old prodigy Nathalie Brown whose ethereal vocals could be compared to those of Maggie Reilly sounding very mature which belies her mere 15 years at the time. The instrumental accampaniement is warm, deep rooted and beyond reproach. As with previous Janus albums Orr has chosen his soloists prudently with session man Dean Houston on saxophone and classically trained Sandy Bartai on the cello.

I have read other reviews of Sea Of Sighs where it is described as a new age album but this could not be a more inaccurate assessment when considering Houston's jazzy sax solo on Myrtle & The Harlequin or when Orr cuts loose with a blistering Floydian guitar solo on Dancing In The Graveyard. The solos nonetheless are kept to a minimum ( no 15 minute self-indulgent freakouts here folks ) and the focus is on graceful melodic soudscapes and backdrops with Orr tripling on keyboards, guitars and percussion. He even gets his kids Julie, Rikki and Matt along with Nathalie Brown to sing backup harmonies throughout this remarkable work.

Although the album opens with two dreary and haunting tracks Sadness Of Love and Requiem that one would expect to hear in a monastery, it becomes gradually more upbeat even though it still reflects the doom & gloom of a English / Celtic past. One of the prettiest and poignant tracks on the album is Great Uncle Joe which is sung passionately by Brown that pays hommage to a forgotten soldier who went to fight for England during the Great War and never returned who is buried in Flanders Field. Cynical lyrics question whether the sacrifice was necessary. The marked English / Celtic aura is maintained on Captain which pays tribute to Edwardian days when England could launch a thousand ships in quest of fortune, treasure and conquest and reminds me of the Roger Wittakker classic The Last Farewell.

A veritable overlooked masterpiece, Sea Of Sighs is an intriguing work that looks down through the years and captures the moods of bygone eras with it's dramatic instrumental textures and virtuoso vocal performances. Do not be misled to some other reviews that make new age references because Sea Of Sighs is much more than that and more. Haunting, meloncholic and forlorn a t times those familiar with the work of Mostly Autumn, Newfoundland Celtic / rock band Figgy Duff or even Mike Oldfield'sd late seventies early eighties work ( QE 2, To France, Crises or five Miles Out ) will definitely glean something from this jewel from Janus. What else? five stars.