TRACE

Trace was Rick van der Linden's supergroup whilst he was taking a break from Ekseption, and the ELP-alike lineup is a hint as to the musical approach taken - keyboard-dominated, with regular borrowings from classical music standards (though they aren't so reliant on classical covers as some ELP clones are). The compositions are light, breezy, and whilst they're a bit forgettable they're at least entertaining. Whereas ELP would split their efforts between super- complex serious business pieces and dumbed-down novelty tracks, Trace steer a middle path, finding a decent compromise between complexity and accessibility which makes the album a fun listen, though I can't say there's much material here to keep me coming back again and again.