NOCHE ABIERTA

Spanish progressive band Cai have recently released their first album for almost three decades, but 1980's ''Noche Abierta'' remains their undisputed classic. It's a generally soothing blend of melodic symphonic prog, with sprinklings of light fusion and a dab of flamenco all served up like a dish of fish. The multi-part ''La Roca del Diablo'' is the album's centrepiece, an 8-minute instrumental that features some brief but tasteful vocoder effects. The album's second instrumental ''Alegrias de Cai'' is another highlight, based around a cheerful groove that's reminiscent of Return To Forever with its fine guitar and synthesizer interplay. The title-track is a beautiful piece Rock Andaluz, complete with flamenco guitar and genial vocals. The second half of the album maybe doesn't quite match the first, although it finishes strongly enough with the above mentioned ''La Roca del Diablo''. Overall it's not as good as Gotic's ''Escenes'' although it is even harder to find, but anyone that does manage to get their hands on a copy of ''Noche Abierta'' is in for a real treat.