FALLING FARTHER IN

If you're a fan of adult contemporary music with lush instrumentation and gorgeous female vocals then this is an album you will probably find appealing (Enya enthusiasts take note). For those who tastes are firmly rooted in progressive music, or even just plain folk songs, this is not a band or music you should go to much effort to add to your collection.

Much like the band's first album, the compositions here are short on complex or innovative arrangements, but long on emotive and pristine vocal melodies. Lyricist Julie Flanders (wife of band founder and keyboardist Emil Adler) has crafted another set of compositions that weave melancholy with romantic themes that are delivered with conviction by lead vocalist Mary Fahl, whose talent is abundantly evident but probably underutilized considering the rather weak material on this record.

Unlike the first album though, which developed the group a sort of cult following primarily on the east coast of the U.S. and garnered a couple hundred thousand sales, this one fell pretty flat upon its release. Epic dropped the group after a short promotional tour and they quickly disbanded, resurfacing briefly under the not-so-clever name of November Project. Fahl went on to a somewhat successful solo career that has included work in the commercial music industry as well as some solo projects and classical music projects. She did not rejoin the band when they reformed briefly in 2003, but did complete work on an interpretive version of Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon' that had promos circulated before being shelved in 2008.

Also unlike their debut, this album generated no singles, and frankly there are no really noteworthy tracks that would have deserved promotion as a single. The opening "Deep As You Go" features expansive vocals from Fahl and layered keyboards/guitars that much resemble their debut, but after that the subsequent songs seem to become progressive more contemporary and focused on studio sheen at the expense of substance. "One Dream" is the one other track with lyrics abstract enough and an instrumental arrangement varied enough to have potential, but the synthesized percussion and digital strings overwhelm decent guitar work and a piano track that would have been more than enough on its own behind Fahl's voice. Otherwise I had to really focus to get through a few listens of the album to be able to form something of an informed opinion of its worth.

Like I said, if you are a contemporary adult music fan who attends Lilith Fair and collects Enya records you might find this album appealing; otherwise I would say take a pass and leave the few copies that exist to serious fans of the band. Two stars.

peace