TIDINGS

Well this is a disappointing new release from this Norwegian ensemble: my expectations were probably excessive, regarding of their insipid previous album, but honestly this work is composed by seven dull tracks, whose mood never changes and at last it starts also annoying us.

Check the only first two issues and then forget them (sorry, but this is my opinion).

This veteran Norwegian prog band has a storied past with both the first self titled debut and the splendid sophomore Mellom Oss being fine prog-folk examples, led by the fluid lyrical guitar of Harald Lytomt. "Tidings" follows two adventurous and well-received releases (A Journey on the Inside and The Art of Complex Simplicity) and suggests a tad more conventional perhaps even commercial approach. The opener "Hour Glass" is pretty standard neo-tinged prog and is accessible enough for any fan but there is no real awe to wildly applaud. The lads do immediately get back to their folkish strengths on the inspirational "Tidings from the Distant Shore", a scintillating nearly 9 minute display of electric folk, with sweeping orchestral themes, delicate female vocals with male interventions, a propos marching violin, sizzling synths and a weeping guitar solo to finish the job. "Shooting Star" is a Freddy Ruud composition and thus strongly favors a variety of massed keyboards, a very deliberate piece that glows gently, set ablaze by a tortuous Lytomt lead solo, full of emotion and effect. The female backing vocals offer a soulful approach to counteract the male vocals that unfortunately grate unconvincingly. The longest cut here , "Yumi Yeda" is a welcome return to their more sophisticated style, showcasing exemplary melodies, allied with some inspired playing by all , even though the lead vocals are somewhat accented and weak. The guitar wails and weaves majestically however, providing another glimpse of how the instrumental prowess can be impeded by unconvincing voice work. "Moments in Life" conjures up strong Camel tinges with more lyrical guitar observations in a dreamy wash of keyboard colorations, again ruined by some wayward "American style funky-groovy" female vocals that plod on totally ludicrously, having little function other than to divert from the instrumental pleasure. Why? Next up, "Mystic Dream" is another near 10 minute piece that sails off at first assuredly, diving quickly into a sedate vocal segment, morphing into lung calisthenics that have no purpose and a fine solo section featuring both guitar and keys. Again, the same attributes apply, great musical parts raped by unpersuasive lead microphone work. Gratefully, the final track "Le Sable S'est Ecoulé" is an instrumental workout (using the oft-used Martin Luther King "I have a dream" quote as well as a JFK snippet) that demonstrates the tonal and technical abilities these vets obviously possess, preferring more experimental orchestrations thus clashing wildly with the previous material. In my opinion, their weakest effort by far, please chuck the vocalists and return to more conventional folk-prog singing and all will be fine tidings from then on. 3 Pink Grains of Sand.

"Tidings" includes the most epic length tracks of any KERRS PINK album, while it is somewhat paradoxically their most vocal oriented opus up to that point. This theoretically allows the band to communicate its generally mystical themes in more detail and enhances opportunities for instrumental development.

Melody and arrangement remain central priorities, and breaks in the CAMEL vein abound, but the band has attempted to modernize. This is chiefly apparent in the frequent deployment of 3 female vocalists, to rather different effect than the innocent clarity of "Magic Mary" from the 1980s. The style deployed is more R&B like. While the contrast was probably intended to jolt the band out of its comfort zone, it is completely at odds with the general laid back ambiance, with phrasings repeated ad nauseum, This utterly grounds the potential of "Shooting Star" and "Moments in Life", and severely hampers the propitious "Mystic Dream", which really should have been bisected for the betterment of all.

On the plus side, In "Tidings from a Distant Shore", the band stamps a shanty sing along on a plodding prog epic, brilliantly so. "Yumi Yeda" might be even better, its lyrical imagery gliding atop a series of contrasting, dignified arrangements, with just a little hyperextension. If I may transgress by looking ahead a dozen or so years, the themes conveyed on this disk runneth over to the subsequent release "Mystic Spirit", but more on that later, elsewhere.

With "Tidings" KERRS PINK takes an emphatic step in the wrong direction; it's awesome when a band finds a groove and rides it out, but this is a metaphysical journey with an overabundance of bum steers at the least favorable juncture. 2.5 stars, rounded down.