THE SEVEN COLOURS OF EMPTINESS

I discovered Mickey Simmonds solo career in reverse chronological order, starting with his most recent album to date (2021's III) which impressed me a great deal. While that album was a bit like a cross between Mike Oldfield and Keith Emerson, The Seven Colours of Emptiness is more like 90's Camel (with whom Simmonds played during that decade). There are lots of "big", emotionally loaded lead guitar parts, and unlike on III there are vocals here. It is unclear to me if everything is done by Simmonds himself, since no other musicians are credited. If it is really all him, it is quite impressive!

But even if The Seven Colours of Emptiness is a thoroughly enjoyable album with many strong parts, it is a bit overlong at 67+ minutes and there is a feeling that the good musical ideas found within could have been concentrated into a shorter running time for better effect. Also, the album tends to pull into too many directions even if it is held together by returning musical themes.

Personally, I like the III album a lot more than The Seven Colours of Emptiness, but I'm sure there are others who would feel the other way. In any case, Mickey Simmonds' music should definitely be heard by more people.

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