TO THE WORLD OF THE FUTURE

Evolution or sell-out? I still say evolution in the case of Earth and Fire on their third straight strong release. Mid 1970s elements are starting to creep in, especially in the synthesizer bleeps and blurps, but the compositions, vocals and band remain top notch.

The title epic opens the album and is dynamic and well developed even if a bit dated in the arrangements. "How Time Flies" is a gentle pop song with fine acoustic guitar and string and harp embellishments. this contrasts with a much more bombastic pop prog song with a memorable chorus "Only Time will Tell". On this album, Earth and Fire silences any doubts about their ability to produce quality prop and prog simultaneously. "Love of Life" incorporates disco elements and even sounds at times like it might have inspired Abba, which I know is not a ringing endorsement on this list, but "Circus" packs a powerful punch of multilayered Gerard and Chris Koerts keys and fine percussion.

Many quality aspects of the bands' sound remain intact, but this is definitely a step down from the band that began the 1970s, chiefly in the dated arrangements and the lack of direction in some of the tracks, like "Last Seagull". Knowing what the world of the future held, it is not surprising that Earth and Fire chose this route. 3.5 stars rounded down.