BOOK OF ROSES

I have relistened to this album after a lot of years. By coincidence I was driving on the same road I was used to take to get at work in the 90s when this was one of my fovorite albums at that time. I have to say that it brought me back a lot of memories, not particularily good or bad, just memories. This means that it actually left me something.

This is the first true concept album by Vollenweider. Speaking of concepts when all the tracks are almost instrumentals is unusual, but the tracks seem to really tell a story even if I don't know what it's about.

But most of all, this is the first very progressive album for the swiss harpist. The neagey atmospheres of the previous releases is almost gone here and this may have been the decision maker for his inclusions in the archives.

True progressive then, very well played and with an excellent production. Volenweider is quite a perfectionist and is used to have a number of extremey skilled musicians. The presence of the South Africans Ladysmith Black Mambazo on a track is remarkable. This group had a little moment of notoriety when they performed in Paul Simon's Graceland, then, after the bassist was killed because of racial reasons, they disbanded to reform years later.

Back to Vollenweider, missing the newage soundscapes, even without getting too dark, is what makes this album more progressive than the previous ones. Even if there is separation between the tracks, the album has a sort of unity, so that can be enjoyed from start to end as if it was a suite.

Up to now I think it's still the best studio album released by this unique artist, able to innovate a traditional instrument as a harp.

About to be a masterpiece. Not to be missed by who likes the genre.

As on "Dancing with the Lion", "Book of Roses" sees ANDREAS VOLLENWEIDER enlist a bevvy of talented guests to compliment his own ever growing instrumental palette. His harp shares billing with or cedes to keyboards, winds, strings, voices and even blinding Spanish guitar. The output is an eclectic alchemy of World and Jazz, highlighted by the Celtic Christmassy "The Grand Ball Of The Duljas"; the Andean inflected "Morning At Boma Park"; the acoustically proggy "In the Woods of Kroandal" and "Jugglers in Obsidian"; the surprisingly well developed and fiery "Hirzel"; the vivacious new age of "Letters to a Young Rose"; and the resoundingly symphonic bonus cut "Overtuerli".

Unfortunately, for every such triumph we can point to a failed idea like yet another misplaced LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO guest spot, a tepid bore like the title cut, or the excruciating death by vocal of "The Birds of Tilmun" and "Manto's Arrow". At best these missteps are failed transitional pieces, but at worst they sabotage momentum and derail what could have been his masterpiece. Arguably VOLLENWEIDER's most progressive release, "Book of Roses" might be the first one you open on that basis alone, but it's not quite a page turner.