THE PROMISE RING

I like Celtic music. I have a number of vinyls of early Clannad, some albums by De Danann, Alan Stivell, and some "minor" folk artists like "Veronique Chalot". I also like Jon's voice and this album has both.

I want to start from track 3: "Timing of the Known". I don't know, and I don't think that's a traditional song, but it can give us a clear idea of how strong the folk roots of Joa Anderson are. With a keyboard and a guitar instead of the fiddle and leaving the percussion as they are, this song could fit into Olias of Sunhillow. It's something that I've never realized before.

We won't find in this album dark or sad songs like "The Trees They Do Grow High". It's all made of happyness, flowers and good sentiments, as usual in Jon's solo works. There are songs which sound like Christmas carols, as in "3 Ships" and of course, nothing really progressive.

I quite like this album but its limit is in the fusion of the two styles (folk and Jon) which doesn't work perfectly so at the end this is nor a regular Anderson's album neither a folk one.

For die-hard fans.