CURED

"Cured" is hampered by a handful of schmaltzy tracks, which smothers the isolated flashes of fire that erupt during some of the instrumental passages. The album cover features the guitarist behind a pair of tropical drinks, but bottled wine would have been more appropriate as it aptly describes the state of STEVE's voice. This seems to be a rite of passage for GENESIS members past and present - pushing their own timid voice into the spotlight as if PETER GABRIELS and PHIL COLLINSES grew in gardens - and HACKETT fares no better than ANTHONY PHILLIPS or TONY BANKS. Not that tracks like "Can't Let Go" and "Turn Back Time" are a good vocalist away from being good themselves; they'd still be sappy, but more easily dismissed. The problem with "Cured" isn't a lack of likeable ideas, but a lack of musicians to execute them. With only Nick MAGNUS and John HACKETT left from his existing "band", Steve is left with too much of the burden, and the arrangements stumble as a result. Of course, he concedes nothing in the guitar department, and the licks on "The Air-Conditioned Nightmare", "Funny Feeling" and "Overnight Sleeper" still spit hellfire.

Yet seldom have the commercial and artistic sides of STEVE HACKETT been so irreconciliable, and the result is an album that serves neither master particularly well. This is best left to completists and people who thought ANTHONY PHILLIPS' Sides was a good idea.