NOVELLA

I guess I was a bit too hard on this one when I first wrote this review. I am probably Renaissance´s biggest fan (well, at least I feel like that), but there is no way to conceal it when they started to faulter, and to me Novella was their turning point, for the downfall. It is not bad, but simply a bit uninspired. It looks like they ran out of ideas after Scheherazade and kind of lost their strong sense of direction they had until then. And it seems overproduced, with lots of orquestrations and choirs that tries to bring some life to the long epics, but can´t help them that much.

There are very good moments like the opening track, Can You Hear Me, the beautiful and deceptively simple Captive Heart and some parts of Touching Once, although the feeling is a little forced sometimes on that last one. The best track however is the classic Midas Man. A truly magnficent song: full of power, inspiration and with a terrific instrumental arrangement that enhances its beauty. Oh, how I wish the whole album had that magic touch! No wonder this is the only Novella track that is present on most anthologies and compilations.

Novella is recommended for the ones that are already Renaissance fans. The band has done far better records, and the next one, Song For All Seasons, with all its flaws, is more inspired and convincing. I rate this one between 3 and 3,5 stars. Good, but not really essential.