TALK

As a huge Yes fan I must say I was somewhat disappointed by this ablum. I do like it, don't get me wrong (hence the 3 stars) but something about it just isn't right. This could be the presence of Trevor Rabin as opposed to the great Steve Howe, and it could also be the fact that we're in the 90s now. For the record, this album does sound very 90s, from the mellowness of most of the tracks (both a strong and weak point for the album) and the almost hip-hop beat of some of the songs (State of play, I'm looking at you!).

Let's take at some of the songs, shall we?

The Calling - I like this track a lot, it's a nice little ditty that's not too long and not too short, it has a nice tempo, but I think it could have been better still. Overall, a good opener, and likely one of the best tracks on the album.

I am waiting - This is where the album starts to lose me. I'd like to say I can really get into this song, because it's fairly well written, but it's too quiet, for one, and it drags on for far too long in my opinion.

Real Love - This is a cool song, and I like it a lot. It's eerie, and this one is obne of the songs I think could have been made longer! That's not a complaint against the song either, I think it's great.

State Of Play - OKay, here's what you get when a 70s band tries to land a hit in the 90s. I have a soft spot for this song, because it's kind of fun. However! I don't think Yes should be in this kind of territoy! It's far too poppy, far to mainstream and well... I have things against it like people have things against "Don't Go" from Magnification.

Walls - This is a track where it all seems to come together well. It is, I'll admit, still a little too mainstream, but it's still a good track overall. It's nice and mellow, suiting the mood of the album, and it is still a little poppy. But again, overall a good song.

Where Will You Be - This one is way too much like I am Waiting. Slow and quiet! So... there's really not much left to say about this song... It's the album's absolute low-point.

Endless Dream - I'm going to review this 3-track song as one song. This is a great little 90s "epic" that clocks at almost 16 minutes total, and is where Yes Should have been going on this album. It starts with the intro, Silent Spring, which is likely the best instrumental opener since Cinema, which, even if you didn't like 90215, was a cool song. Ths gives way to the middle part of the song and album's title track "Talk" which is quiet again, but very well written and put together. The song ends with Endless Dream, which doesn't sound much different from Talk. All in all, this song is probably the only thing that keeps me coming back to this record.

All in all this is a record that's good as background music, or maybe to entertain some friends that like Hip-hop. I don't know, whatever you want. I personally think it's a good album in a musical sence, but I think it's a bad Yes album.