NOVUM

I had some reservations about listening to this new Procol Harum album as I had heard that Gary Brooker's voice was deteriorating over the last few years. At 72 years old, it has. And that creates a dilemma as Brooker's voice was also Procol's sixth instrument, especially when he'd go ballistic and sing with his trademark vocals pitch shifted from one of the lyric's extended syllables to the next at a song's crescendo. Amazing stuff.

To compensate, this latest incarnation of Procol Harum have ramped up their playing as they were always a bit measured and reserved in the past. Guitarist Geoff Whitehorn really shines as he is able to jump from Richie Blackmore like riffing to Eddie Van Halen like flourishes. New (at least for this album) organist Josh Phillips stays away from the old Procol sound of Bach or Handel flourishes and is more in a supporting role. Bassist Matt Pegg and new drummer Geoff Dunn really click and set off some driving rhythms in the harder rocking songs like "I Told On You", "Business Man" and especially on "You Can't Say That". Great songs, by the way.

However, Brooker struggles with the ballads on this album, as his voice can just barely cover the range of this material and generally sounds weak and scratchy. The exception being the stellar "I Am The Only One", one of those magically emotive Procol songs that would even sound good if it was sung by Tom Waits.

Long time lyricist Keith Reid is oddly missing on this outing, but former Cream lyricist Pete Brown has stepped in and, naturally, fits right in with Procol's music. The production on this album is top notch and sounds quite warm, almost analog, and dynamic. The key to Novum is if one can accept Brooker's aging vocals and enjoy the music for what it is, or dismiss the album out of hand. I'm on the fence at the moment, but I suspect I'll fall off after a few more listens. I feel that 3 stars is suitable for the band's effort to deliver something of value fifty yeas after recording their first album. They have really played to their strengths this time around and that in itself is refreshing, even if Brooker's voice is not.

I must say that I find it amusing that many have picked this album in which to reacquaint themselves with Procol Harum instead of the much better This Well's On Fire previously released way back in 1203, but that's always par for the course.

Review # 54. Is there anyone who was expecting Procol Harum to release their 17th studio album, after a long 50-year-old career, in order to form an opinion about them? I hope not! I must admit that this new release caught me by surprise, as I wasn't expecting anything like that. I know that the band is active, performing a few live gigs every year, but that was all. So, I was really happy and excited when I learned about this album of theirs. Before anything else, I should mention that I consider myself as a "fan" of Procol Harum. I grew up with their music, I have all their albums in my collection and never got bored of them. They had many ups and downs of course, like any other band, but Gary Brooker's warm and unique voice was always there to befriend me in my melancholic and dark times. Let's take a look at Novum now: The production of the album is excellent (as expected), the musicians that are participating are very experienced, and the overall outcome is satisfying to my ears. (But as I wrote above, I'm not the average listener of PH). So, further than Gary Brooker, here we have some very good musicians, such as: Matt Pegg (Jethro Tull / Fairport Convention) on bass, Geoff Dunn (Manfred Mann's Earth Band, Van Morrison, Jimmy Page) on drums, Geoff Whitehorn ( Kevin Ayers, Bad Company, Roger Waters, Paul Rodgers, Roger Daltrey and others) on guitar and Joss Phillips (The Who, Diamond Head, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Pete Townsend and others) on keyboards. Procol Harum's "trade marks" always have been Gary Brooker's warm and unique voice, the extended use of organ, and the influences from the great classical composers, such as Bach and Handel for example. Unfortunately the organ and the classical influences have been reduced a lot, having the piano as the leading and dominant instrument, accompanied by some really good guitar passages and riffs. As for Gary Brooker's voice, it is definitely not what it used to be, but it is not bad at all, considering that he is almost 72 years old. The album includes 11 tracks, and has a total running time of almost 55 minutes. There are some songs in a more "Rock" style, such as, I told on you (the album's opening song), or Image of the Beast for example. But there are some others, where you can hear something from the magic of the good old Procol Harum, such as, Sunday Morning or The Only One. In my opinion, you should listen to the album a few times before you form up an opinion. Let yourself "sunk" in the melancholy and the beauty of some of its songs, and then decide. Concluding this, I want to say that Novum in not a bad album, but not a masterpiece as well. It is a well structured album, including some fine and nostalgic moments. Definitely recommended for the fans of Procol Harum, but not only them. Every fan of Rock or Progressive Rock music will find some songs that he/she will like. I will try to be objective here, and give 3 stars

I saw Procol Harum play live two years ago, but it was a set of older material, so I had no idea what to expect out of their first album of new material in 14 years.

Gary Brooker is back, of course. Brooker has been the singer, pianist, and main songwriter for the group over the course its 50 year history. There has been some discussion in reviews online that Brooker's voice is not what it used to be and that may be true; the man is 72 years old, after all ? but it must be said that for a 72 year old man, his voice sounds pretty good.

For those expecting a glorious orgy of organ music, you will be disappointed. Novum has a more modern sheen to it. The style of music here is, for the most part, pretty straight forward rock 'n roll with Brooker's piano at the forefront.

I did find a few tracks in the early half of the album, such as "Last Chance Motel" and "Don't Get Caught" to be a bit pedestrian, but the song writing is solid enough throughout the album to keep things from getting too dull. A couple of tracks do try a more ballady style with Brooker crooning at his piano. Of these, "The Only One" stands out. "Sunday Morning" is also pretty strong, occasionally echoing old school Harum.

Overall, Novum delivers a solid set. The album is not one that I see myself revisiting often, but I would not classify it as a disappointment per se.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the beautiful cover art, credited to Julia Brown Illustration. One of the finest album covers I've seen this year.

Highlights: "Image of the Beast", "Neighbour", "Sunday Morning", "Businessman", "Can't Say That", "The Only One"

Ok, not all the over 70 vocalists have the same extension they had when they were young. Brooker is not an exception, his voice is still recognisable and fits perfectly but nobody can expect high notes like on A Salty Dog to say one title.

Also, the songs are quite dated. It's like a fantastic album has been recorded and put into a time machine just to appear 50 years later then its time.

You know what? I LIKE IT!

It's an excellent album. The sound quality is at today's level and doesn't sound too "vintage". Of course the songwriting is not evolved, but whoever likes the classic Procol Harum will not be disappointed by this "Novum" album. There's plenty of melodies, very British I'd say, with songs like "Can't Say That" which seems to come from the Blues revival years.

In the end it's like it was a lost album and I think that Procol Harum have done the best possible thing: instead of trying to be "actual" and renewing their songwriting they have done exactly what a fan wants: be themselves, even if it's everything but a reunion of the original members. Only Brooker is survived from the first album's lineup 51 years ago.

But this is a proper Procol Harum album. Fit for purpose. You won't find a new Whiter Shade Of Pale inside, but the whole album is very consistent. Not many peaks but absoutely no lowlights. In my opinion it deserves not less than 4 PA stars.