New Strawbs album due Feb. 2021.

and the lyrics are, as expected, quite poetic, even if at times vague as you say

A great review indeed Ken, full of detail and understanding of the band's career!

Excellent review Ken. It really hits on all the key points!

Edited by SteveG - March 21 2021 at 10:34

I'm here enjoying Steve's review while listening to the album and thinking that 39 minutes can be enough, if they are well used (which is the case).

kenethlevine wrote: ^ you could base the review just on the non bonus tracks, but then you have to factor in that it's only a 39 minute album.  ,  It's weird that the last song, sung by Cronk, seems to be well liked even by critics that aren't big into the album, but it doesn't do anything for me, at least not yet.  But "Better Days" is truly dreadful.  When Strawbs try to do Brazilian, rather than reflecting their eclectic interests it sounds like a parody

Hmm. If I had to guess as to why they like the Cronk tune, it's probably because it sounds more like Oasis then the Strawbs!!

Edited by SteveG - March 15 2021 at 05:05

Ok, I've ignored the bonus tracks up until now, and they are hard to take. How to reconcile these tracks in a review is going to be tough. Lol.

Edited by SteveG - March 13 2021 at 15:07

I heard "We Are Everyone," today and quite liked it, I have a CD on the way.

Just did another listen and I'm struck by the haunting slow burn of these songs as they do grow on me. And it's really cool to have another Strawbs album after all these years. Something that also struck me about Settlement is that it's not a deliberate throwback to past albums in order to satisfy old fans, regardless of how much Banbridge channels John Hawken and Rick Wakeman. It is it's own beast, which I do appreciate.

Edited by SteveG - March 13 2021 at 11:38

Ok, got the CD and listened to it twice. My first impression is thiat it's good but doesn't come close to as good as The Ferryman's Curse, which to me, is almost a 5 star album. There's nothing on it as clever as The Nails From The Hands Of Christ or as majestic as When The Spirt Moves. The album also lacks the dynamics of The Ferryman's Curse, but that may be down to it's hodge podge piecemeal home recordings cobbled together by Blue Weaver, and not the loss of Tsangerades as producer. But it does have great clarity as a trade off. More thoughts will be forthcoming, naturally. Stay tuned.

Edited by SteveG - March 12 2021 at 20:14

I think it's hard for a singer to admit that their voice is weakening and it's hard for people around them to be honest with them as well.  It's a rare voice like John Ford's who sounds as good at 70 as he did at 23