THE CIRCUS AND THE NIGHTWHALE

The inexhaustible guitarist has to be one of the hardest working musicians anywhere, dishing out studio albums at a consistent pace, touring the world in concert, paying his respectful homage to his first band and furthering, if not elevating its legacy way beyond the capabilities or desires of his former bandmates. More Fool Me indeed! He has no need to prove anything anymore, well entrenched in the Prog Hall of Fame and content do his thing his way. Master of the acoustic, nylon and electric guitars, using his legendary sustain and tapping technique, he is unique in not veering into fluffier jazzy stuff like so many other veteran electric guitarists. He actually has become a tad crisper in his sound, noticeable in the last few releases especially. And true to form, the tracks cover a wide range of stylistic niches, from acoustic workouts, brooding blues, some technical sizzle that borders on heavy rock and of course, some sublime prog compositions that are unafraid to infuse some world music tendencies. His usual seasoned road cronies are all on board, Roger King manning the keyboard duties, the amazing Jonas Reingold on bass, sax man Rob Townsend and drummers Craig Blundell, Nick D'Virgilio and Hugo Degenhart.

Strangely, I was truly mesmerized by the shorter pieces like the iridescent "These Passing Clouds", the bluesy "Found and Lost", the torrid sandstorm feel of Scipio's Roman Army in Africa on "Circo Inferno", the Zeppelin-esque thrashing on "Breakout", lest we forget that the Brits are an island nation devoted to the oceans on "All at Sea" and the classical acoustic finale on "White Dove", a magical farewell.

For those who are dismayed about him singing on all the tracks, hey, it's been like that for nearly 50 years, so suck it up and move on. Its his art, okay! For those who think he is just rehashing the same tired formula, listen to the monster rock steamroller exhibit on "Taking You Down", the totally enchanting Genesisian aroma of "Enter the Ring" with its fluttering John Hackett flute pirouettes and carnival atmosphere, the incredible six string method solo on the poignant "Get it Out", followed by the majestic prog epic "Ghost Moon and Living Lone", a series of typical Hackett solos that inserts some slide guitar outbursts, the soaring female vocal (Amanda Lehmann) intro is drenched in absurd beauty and rather amazing vocals from the Man with the Golden Guitar, BTW!

The furtive "Into the Nightwhale" certainly captures the gigantic proportion of the cetacean with some colossal orchestrations as well as the creature's relative meekness and gentle disposition in the second part, where a serene calm settles in, twinkling piano and a forgiving vocal glimmering brightly. Immediate segue into the bolder anthemic "Wherever You Are", a suave voice, leading to thumping drum patterns, another patented Hackett fretboard screech, rousing organ collisions and a fiery climax.

The lamp's warm glow flickers as Steve plays "White Dove", restrained notes that express deep felt emotions, a stellar neo-classical piece that suggest the need for kindness and peace. Mister consistency strikes again, another great chapter in a gloriously productive career, proving once again that being on one's own can be utterly rewarding artistically.

4.5 Carnival orcas. [email protected]

Steve Hackett is surely the most active member of Genesis and arguably the one who has stayed truest to his progressive rock roots, as his seemingly endless creativity drives him into releasing newer albums every other year, a creative force that might have been sparked by the intense Genesis-related touring and revisiting that Mr Hackett has become notorious for in recent years. As we have appreciated the busy release schedule for him in the 2020s, his most recent release titled 'The Circus and the Nightwhale' sees him diving head first into prog rock waters (which for many is what he does best).

And Hackett needs no introduction at all, as every prog fan would position him somewhere high up in the prog rock guitarists pantheon - and on his latest studio album (released as usual on Inside Out Music), it seems that he goes on celebrating the sounds and the style he is well-known for, at this point expanding his majestic catalogue with yet another pretty good album. 'The Circus and the Nightwhale' is a tight collection of seemingly thematically related songs that have been pierced by these shorter one- or two-minute instrumental vignettes on several occasions across the album. However, above all, as Steve Hackett had stated himself, with this album he had the intention of creating a "theater for the ears" and this is probably a very good way of describing his 2024 release. The album is quite cinematic, intricate and melancholic, as the music usually is when one considers the former Genesis guitarist. Occasionally the vocals might not be the most appealing, especially when it comes to Mr Hackett's singing, which has been the subject of discussion for decades, but the album works nicely and flows gently, as it works perfectly as another addition to the Hackett discography, not really introducing anything new or unheard of, just celebrating a specific genre of music.

All in all, 'The Circus and the Nightwhale' is a fine release, perhaps nothing too special, just a very well-crafted album by a prog rock veteran who displays all of his technical and vocal abilities to very positive results. Hackett fans will be enjoying this one for sure, and I think it might also appeal to rock fans in general, too.

Although he's been out of Genesis for well over 47 years, STEVE HACKETT more than any other member of that band has retained the spirit of the progressive rock 70s and has done more as a solo artist to celebrate the prog years of Genesis than that band has ever done for itself. Add to that HACKETT has been quite prolific in his output since his debut "Voyage Of The Acolyte" all the way back in 1975 and despite nearly 50 years of releasing well over 30 albums, it seems there's no sign of him slowing down. And here in 2024 we find ourselves with another installment of the STEVE HACKETT universe with THE CIRCUS AND THE NIGHTWHALE.

After spending the last decade more or less revisiting his symphonic prog roots, THE CIRCUS AND THE NIGHTWHALE takes on a different stylistic approach which is more varied and more theatrical with touches of hard rock, flamenco and jazz mixed in with the usual symphonic prog and classically tinged guitar magic that HACKETT has been cranking out for almost five decades. As a legend in the world of prog, HACKETT now has the luxury to record at his own leisure and finds an army of supporting musicians to assist him on this one including Roger King (keyboards, programming and orchestral arrangements), Rob Townsend (sax), Jonas Reingold (bass), Nad Sylvan (vocals), Craig Blundell (drums) and Amanda Lehmann on vocals. Nick D'Virgilio and Hugo Degenhardt return as the percussionists with Benedict Fenner on keyboards.

The album title gives a hint of what to expect with this one. It truly is an eclectic work that doesn't really fit into any particular categorization. The CIRCUS really has come to town and the NIGHTWHALE is ready to deliver a great show, STEVE HACKETT style. Supposedly a concept album of some sort (well aren't ALL prog albums these days?!!!), i honestly am not sure what the theme really is and it doesn't really matter too much since it's the music that counts. STEVE delivers a wide array of sounds and styles throughout this run of 13 tracks with his outstanding guitar and mandolin playing heard all throughout. At 74, HACKETT may not be breaking any new ground on this one but he certainly holds his own and crafts catchy compositions that showcase some nice production and diversity.

The album features plenty of slow burners such as the tender ballad "Ghost Moon And Living Love" as well as more upbeat rockers such as "Get Me Out." The mandolin-rich "Circo Inferno" with its Arabian musical scales takes you for a journey east bound only with some hard rock outbursts and a sizzling sax solo. "Breakout" jumps into an unexpected heavy metal style with blistering guitar workouts and delectable lead guitars which demonstrates that HACKETT has lost none of his guitar playing mojo over the years. "All At Sea" offers yet another surprise with an ambient synthesized abstractness with a few guitar tricks thrown in and basically serves as an intro for "Into The Nightwhale" which remains dreamy and laid back never really shaking the ambient backing.

THE CIRCUS AND THE NIGHTWHALE demonstrates quite clearly that STEVE HACKETT is still alive and going strong and its filled with some really enjoyable music but like the majority of his output he simply fails to take the extra steps necessary to offer something truly compelling that will beckon return visits. In fact he seems on simply recycling various experiments that he's been cranking out his entire career. For true fans this album won't disappoint at all but if you're seeking something comparable to his debut or "Spectral Mornings" then you won't find that consistency here. HACKETT suffers from the age old problem of quantity over quality and most of his albums reflect that. While he never delivers an unlistenable product, very few of them deliver something revolutionary or applicable to the modern day. A decent album but not an outstanding one either.

While most progressive rock musicians cannot even find Aotearoa on a map, Steve Hackett has played here twice in recent years, and while there has been plenty of Genesis in his set there were also plenty of classics from his solo material. To be honest, I would love to see him play a concert which only contains material from his own albums, such is the consistent quality over the years. Whereas his last release, 2021's 'Surrender of Silence', was based around his touring band this one has Steve much more to the fore and while Roger King (keyboards, arrangements) is still heavily involved, singer Nad Sylvan only features on one song, Rob Townsend on two, with Jonas Reingold and Craig Blundell on four each. Steve provides most of the vocals here, along with electric, acoustic & 12-string guitars, mandolin, harmonica, percussion and bass.

This is a concept album, a rite-of-passage story with a young character called Travla at its heart, but arguably this is autobiographical, and one gets the impression that Hackett used this to get some things off his chest. Sadly, musically this rarely lives up to the heady heights he has often climbed, and it feels somewhat boring, but then we get songs like "Enter The Ring" with its harmonies and rock stylings which makes one think we have been thrown back in time to the classic first three albums (can it really be that 2025 marks 50 years since the release of 'Spectral Mornings'?). To my mind it is the Genesis albums which have Hackett playing which are the most complete (none of this Gabriel/Collins malarkey for me), and I have always relished seeing him play live, and even though this is not exactly essential Steve is showing no signs whatsoever of slowing down. This may not be classic Hackett, but there are times when he shreds and shows no sign whatsoever of his years in the business, and the touches of brilliance are still there. It may not be his best album ever, but is a damn fine listen all the same.