With the somewhat long-winded title The Land, The Sea, The Air (Volume 1), the Scottish band The Emerald Dawn has released their sixth album. The founders Tree Stewart and Ally Carter are assisted on the new album by Dave Greenaway on bass and Tom Jackson on drums. Both Stewart and Carter play keyboards, but Carter is more of a guitarist and saxophonist, while Stewart plays some flute and acoustic guitar. The Emerald Dawn makes music with a lot of room for instrumental pieces and often does this through epic, long tracks. There is often a somewhat mystical atmosphere and the sparse vocals are therefore subordinate and not sensational. There are four tracks on the album and the total playing time is just over forty-five minutes, so at LP level. We start with Dancing With The Spirit and that is immediately proof of the versatility of this band. A tight drum rhythm is soon joined by a marimba, creating a kind of tropical atmosphere. However, it doesn't stay that way because as soon as the marimba disappears, the song takes a different turn. Guitar, saxophone and keyboards solo until the marimba returns for a moment to close the up tempo song that has a kind of fusion feel to it. Jackson plays nice and uninhibited and leaves quite a mark on this track. We don't find that higher tempo in the more than sixteen minutes long Under changing Skies where a dragging rhythm forms the basis for all kinds of solo excursions. The few sung passages drown in reverb and occasionally we hear solid guitar chords but also very quiet pieces with the keys as a basis. You hear clear references to the more classic prog and technically it is all of a pretty high level. The danger of boredom or digression is always lurking with instrumental music, so the sung pieces are very welcome, although the already mentioned reverb disturbs me considerably. Carter solos for minutes to the end and does so convincingly, making it nice and bombastic. His style reminds me a bit of Andy Latimer, although I have to say that I clearly prefer the latter. The more than thirteen minutes long While Oceans Die starts with saxophone on a background of keys where the vocals pop up for a moment before the guitar and saxophone take over soloing. I love guitar solos and should therefore be very enthusiastic about Carter's minute-long solos, but that is only partly true. He is a great guitarist but I miss that little bit extra in his playing, a style of his own with palpable emotion. The solos on saxophone are sometimes very jazzy and that's a taste thing, clearly not mine. In the middle is an orchestral piece with a somewhat unclear structure after which the vocals return. Varied but when the saxophone takes over again I have to draw the conclusion that I don't find either appealing. The closing song And We're left Wondering Why starts with a quiet piece on acoustic guitar, supporting keys and vocals that sound a lot more pleasant due to the lack of all that reverb. Yet the high tones are only just reached and it is not really exciting in terms of musical accompaniment. With three minutes to go the saxophone comes forward again and we end with a kind of salsa rhythm. Not really an exciting final. I feel like I'm not going to make friends with my conclusion from this review. I know that many fellow proggers really like the music of The Emerald Dawn. Personally, I think the previous albums are a bit stronger, but I have to mention that I don't own them. There are a number of reasons for this, and they also apply to this new album. I am allergic to ripping saxophone parts and there are plenty of them because in this case it is a very dominant instrument. The singing of Stewart is on the edge of acceptable to me and that is partly due to the way it is in the mix, way too much reverb. The last song proves that this is not necessary, but here the high notes are a bit wobbly. Carter's guitar playing is not distinctive enough for me and lacks exciting melodies. In the end it's all about the compositions and they are fine but no more than that. This album is probably an excellent continuation of the previous albums for the existing fans of The Emerald Dawn. For those who do not yet know the music of this band, it is advisable to ask yourself how much you love the saxophone because as already stated, this instrument has a leading role. In terms of keys, it is all very lush without too many swirling solo excesses but very tasteful. I am not convinced but maybe you will be, so just try it. ***- Erik Fraanje (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
