TALK

Heavily influenced by the ways of Trevor Rabin, inclined more towards hard rock structures than progressive ones, "Talk", the fourteenth album by Yes, prolongs the mood of "90125" with a crystalline and clean production, but also irregular in its development, with tracks such as the opening "The Calling", the soporific and inconsequential "Real Love", and the insipid "State of Play" and "Walls" (in collaboration with Roger Hodgson of Supertramp), of which few passages are salvageable beyond the occasional timid guitar chord by Rabin or some melodic flash of Jon Anderson.

On the other hand, some pieces improve the general perception of the album, such as the peaceful and diaphanous "I Am Waiting", the interesting beginning of "Where Will You Be" and, above all, "Endless Dream", a very successful composition divided into three parts, the first and the last as a prologue and epilogue respectively, which moves through different moods, remarkably chained together, and where Anderson's angelic voice, the versatile and dramatic use of piano, synthesizers and Rabin's whispered slide guitar, more in line in this case with the requirements of the song, stand out. It is surely one of the best pieces composed by the band in the 90's, underrated in my opinion, and a sign that the DNA of the golden era of the Brits was still present and still inhabited by the surviving members.

After "Talk", Rabin would leave the band for good, with Steve Howe taking his place again from then on. Tony Kaye, who had not played much on the album, after rejoining the band since "90125", also left the band.

"Talk", all in all, is a step forward after the musical mess that was "Union". A little better than average.

2.5/3 stars