MIRROR TO THE SKY

Although I do consider Yes to be my all time favorite band, I haven't been very pleased with the albums they have released following Jon Anderson's departure in 2008. And it's not because I am against the idea of Yes without Anderson (I gave "Drama" a 5 Star rating), I just don't think the songs have been as strong since "Magnification" in 2001 (The last full studio album with Anderson). I did say, however, in my first review of this album, that I thought that this is the finest one since then, and called it "good but not great." So, let me give it another deep listen, and see if my opinion has changed.

The lineup of Yes on this album is:

Steve Howe- Guitars/Vocals/Album Producer Jon Davison- Lead Vocals/Acoustic Guitars Geoff Downes- Keyboards Billy Sherwood - Bass/Vocals Jay Schellen-Drums (His first album as official drummer after Alan White's passing in 2022)

Track 1 - Cut From the Stars

This was the lead-off single from the album, and I remember having a cautiously good impression of it when I first heard it. Cautiously, because I was impressed with "The Ice Bridge" from the previous album, "The Quest" in 2021, but then being let down by much of the rest of the album.

The song begins with what I'll describe as a solo synth string sound from Downes, then Schellen hits a snare fill and the band kicks in, with Sherwood laying down a nice bass line. Vocals kick in at 24 seconds. I like the instrumental accents between phrases. At 46 seconds the beat is suspended after Davison sings the title of the song. Various instrument and processed vocal sounds kind of float around then the next vocal section begins, this part has more of a call & response between the voice and instruments. Following that, there is a verse similar to the opening one. Next up is a slightly funky riff starting around 1:50 with a new vocal melody. There is a quieter section at around 2:25, then the music picks back up again. There is a Howe-led instrumental break that Downes harmonizes on keyboards. There is a bridge following at around 3:15. They get funky again following that. Howe and Downes trade riffs starting around 4:30, but it doesn't seem very inspired. This leads to the close of the song. It has its moments, but it's missing the energy I am wanting.

Track 2 - All Connected A keyboard riff starts this one off, then the band comes in at a moderately slow tempo. Howe takes the melody on his steel guitar. The rhythm changes around around 1:20 with vocal parts and staccato guitar & keys. A syncopated rhythm starts off the first verse. There is a turnaround around the 2 minute mark. Nice drumming from Schellen around 2:35. They sing "harmony" in-harmony, of course. Then there is a nice bridge section in a half-time feel. Davison sings a cappella at around 3:30, leading into a new rhythmic section. Howe is really enjoying his flanger pedal on this one. Sherwood & Schellen have a nice rhythm going here. Davison hits some high notes and Howe plays a guitar solo. At around 4:40, Howe sings a few lines with heavy effects on it, then Davison answers with the song title. They go into a 6-8 rhythm here with acoustic strumming. Howe returns to steel guitar next at 5:08, with accents from the others. The tempo slows back down following that. They sing harmony ahhs, then the tempo picks back up. Syncopated rhythms return and there is a bit more energy, but it's still not giving me the "thrust" I'm looking for. The feel changes again around 7:37. Then around 8 minutes, it slows back down with another Howe steel-solo, interspersed with licks on a six-string to close out the track. Again, it's not bad, but some of the slower parts had me fighting sleep.

Track 3 - Luminosity

As this one begins, the keyboards play an arpeggiated pattern while Howe takes the lead and Schellen plays big drum fills. I'll call the meter, once it becomes steady, a slow 6-4. At around 1 minute though, Howe plays some eighth note chords, then the beat goes into 4-4. At around 1:30, the beat changes again and they sing harmony Ahhs with the music. I like the Howe fill at 1:45. They are locking into a groove here, with a slight crescendo. The beat changes again around 2:15, then the vocals enter with Davison singing a very light, high-pitched, classical style melody. Davison does have a nice voice, indeed, but he lacks some of the fullness & grit that Anderson has. The beat kicks back just before the 3 minute mark. Excellent harmonies around 4 minutes. Davison sings the melody again, with Howe (I believe) doubling him an octave lower, and Sherwood (I think) singing a counter-melody somewhat distantly. The vocal arranging is well done here. The instrumental parts are light and airy with Downes hitting some electric piano chords here and there. Nice chord change at 5:46! But things get softer again and keyboards sustain chords while Howe plays steel guitar over it. The beat returns at 7 minutes, while Howe keeps soloing on the steel guitar. This is feeling slightly like the closing section of "Ritual" from "Tales from Topographic Oceans," but with less "oomph". The synth sounds are very much like an actual string section. It's like orchestral music with a rock drumbeat. My favorite track so far. It doesn't rock very hard, but it was musically interesting.

Track 4 - Living Out Their Dream

A shorter track at 4:47, this one starts out with an upbeat, rock riff, with nice turnarounds. It has kind of a 60s rock feel, not too heavy. The vocals are in a lower register, and this one indicates that it's a vocal duet with Howe in the credits, but I believe it's Davison's voice primarily. This one is giving me a head-bob. Nice guitar runs from Howe around 2:15. OK, that's Howe's voice following that. Howe takes a solo around 3:10. Downes plays some cool keyboard bits here and there, but I'd love a big-fat Hammond solo on this groove; it's screaming for it. The beat changes just after 4 minutes to an almost drunken 6-8 groove that closes out the track. Fun song. Again, I wish that Downes had been given an organ solo and that they kept up the groove a bit longer.

Track 5 - Mirror to the Sky

The title track is also the epic of the album at just under 14 minutes. Howe's solo opening riff has a bit of Neil Young "Ohio" feel to my ears. Piano parts join in then the band kicks in big-time at just before the 1 minute mark. NOW THIS IS MORE LIKE IT! Schellen and Sherwood get a smokin' groove going here. Howe keeps the spotlight, and there are cool proggy things happening. For the first time on the album, I feel like Schellen and Sherwood are channeling Alan White and Chris Squire energy! As every Yes fan knows, Squire was a big mentor to Sherwood for many years, and I knew he had it in him. Bravo! Now let's see if it carries into the rest of the song. This groove is giving me stink-face (yes, that's a good thing) while Howe is playing his most inspired solo on the album, thus far. Then they made me go "whoah!" at around 2:25 when Schellen gets a brief drum solo. The descending run at around 2:44 reminds me of "Mind Drive" from "Keys to Ascension." That was a GREAT Yes intro. An acoustic guitar riff takes us into the next section of the epic. Howe takes lead vocals then Davison joins in with him. The synth begins doubling the guitar melody between vocal phrases. The rhythm section kicks back in at just before 4 minutes. Howe takes another solo between verses, then Davison takes over on vocals. At around 5:20 Davison goes sky high. I believe that he is finding his OWN way of being a Yes-singer here. While his voice has a similar range to Anderson's which is helpful when singing classic Yes material live, he is finding ways to make his lighter tone work in a Yes setting. He has sung on 2 previous Yes albums and it never quite worked for me until now. The instrumental break at around 5:50 is interesting, I can't quite tell if it's all keyboards, or if there is acoustic guitar mixed in. Howe solos over the top and there are acoustic guitars in the background with the rhythm section. Nice drum fill just before 7:00 Davison returns on vocals at around 7:10 with an effect on his voice. There is a dramatic bridge when that happens. Then guitar reminiscent of the opening returns at 7:55, with the others playing various intertwining parts. Excellent harmonized vocals follow that. Howe has a nice guitar bit at 8:just before 8:30, and there are cool synth accents between. The beat slows way down at around 9:30 and Downes takes over with some synth lines with some interesting background bits. Some of this album, and this track in particular feel like what "Tales from Topographic Oceans" might have sounded like with modern technology. The acoustic melody returns at around 11:50, and the synth-string sounds join in. CORRECTION! There is actual orchestration on this. I thought the strings sounded too real to be synths. The orchestra takes over for a minute or so, then the band kicks back in at 12:45, with a middle eastern flavor. At 13:20 they start heading for a big finish! They do the "Mind Drive" style descending riff again, then there is a final big major chord to close things out. FANTASTIC TRACK! The orchestration makes me think of "Magnification," and it's on par with the songs there. I would almost hold that song up to some of the 70s classics. Best Yes track in years.

Track 6 - Circles of Time

This song closes out the main part of the album, with 3 "bonus tracks" following. Davison sings a catchy phrase: "Time circles in circles of ti-ime" a Capella to start this on out. Howe plays mellow guitar to echo the phrase, and Davison begins the verse with acoustic accompaniment. This one is kind of mellow and folky. It has a nice melody with good harmonies. It's a good song but not much for me to write about.

NOTE: The three final songs are on a separate disc in the CD version, and are called bonus tracks. Howe has explained that they are called that because they somehow didn't fit with the vibe of the rest of the album, but thought they were still worthy of release. So, even though I don't normally include "bonus tracks," in my reviews, they are truly a part of the album to begin with, so here we go.

Track 7 - Unknown Place

This one begins with a cool acoustic riff that reminds me of something Greg Lake might have played on an ELP album. They then sing wordless vocal sounds with an instrumental accent between phrases; almost like a tribal chant. At around 40 seconds they put the chant and guitar part together with a nice groove. Howe and Davison sing in duet as the first verse unfolds. The tribal groove thing happens again between verses. Howe takes the lead vocal a bit here, but he has never been the world's greatest singer (although in his prime, he might have been the world's greatest guitar player). At around 3:20, there was a taste of the Hammond organ I wanted on track 4! The tribal groove returns, but this time, Downes plays an organ countermelody over the top, before playing some nice Hammond licks. He and Howe trade off a bit, but then? COWBELL! Howe plays a very cool syncopated riff over the cowbell. The band actually stretches out instrumentally and they improv a bit; it's nice! At 5:27 though, they slow the beat down and sing some 'doot do doo" things with instrumentation in between. At 6 minutes, Howe gives a masterclass in classical guitar. The band comes in with a groove along with it and build up some instrumental parts. At 6:50 Downes plays some pipe organ. By 7:15 we are in 6-8 for a vocal section. The song ends on a sustained chord. Nice PROG!

Track 8 - One Second Is Enough

This one begins with organ parts, and then the band comes in with an upbeat groove. Howe and Davison sing in octaves again. At 1:05 there is a transitional bit, then they hit the chorus. Another verse follows. This one seems like it was meant to be a single aimed at radio play. At around 2:40, Howe plays harmonized guitar parts reminiscent of Brian May. At around 3:20, following another chorus, Howe plays a guitar solo, leading up to a closing segment. A pretty good song, but far from my favorite on the album.

Track 9 - Magic Potion

The album closer begins with a clean-electric strummed guitar pattern. The rhythm section johns in after a few seconds then Howe lays down clean lead lines that he adds harmonies to as they go along. The vocals come in using the octave thing that Howe and Davison seem to be into on this album. The rhythm section is grooving underneath while the vocals and guitar do a call and response. After an ascending vocal line, there is an instrumental bit that reminds me of the type of thing they played on "Fly From Here" in 2011. (Although only Howe and Downes remain from that line-up, as Squire and White both passed on and Benoit David was the first singer on that one, then they were re-recorded by Trevor Horn for an alternate version of the album). Howe plays a catchy lick here. This one is almost 80s style jazzy pop, with some prog touches. I like the harmonies and synth swells around 2:50. Then at just after 3:00, the beat stops and Howe plays harmony guitar parts with sustained keyboard backing. The beat returns at 3:35 with a half-time feel before the song winds-down to a close. A fun track.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

I was a bit concerned on the first few tracks that I wasn't liking it as much as I remembered. They seemed to lack energy, and felt very much like the majority of tracks on "Heaven and Earth," and "The Quest"; just too mellow and easy going to be what I want from Yes. But then, things pick-up. Track 3 is still kind of mellow, but gets more interesting, musically, for me. Track 4 rocked up a bit. But it was track 5, the title track, BLEW ME AWAY! I don't remember liking it this much the first time around. They showed me what this lineup is capable of! Track six was nice and folky, but track 7 pulled me back in. 8 was OK, but I enjoyed #9. A bit of a mixed bag, but when it's good, it's great! I'll give it a 4 out of 5 Stars!