ILLUSION

Compared to the preceding Out Of The Mist album, the record here has some more accessible songs, better suited for easy listening. The omnipresent piano is more simple, not really Baroque, and there is the presence of acoustic guitar. The music is not really progressive except for one or two tracks; the songs are not complex, but it is not a simple music though. There are still many pleasant lead & backing vocals. There are some good mellotron parts, but there are also a few artificial keyboards parts that do not fit very well with the musical genre of the band, like on the slightly psychedelic "Cruising Nowhere". Jane Relf's super soothing lead vocals will definitely transport you on "Man Of Miracles": it sounds like a pleasant & desired lullaby. The last track "The Revolutionary" is the most progressive one: it sounds a bit like The Strawbs. For those who, like me, love Jane Relf's lead vocals, she appears on the beautiful New Age album with Jim McCarthy, on the "Stairway" artist name: the album is called Moonstone.