Steve Adams: electric & acoustic guitars, vocals, strings & mellotron
Desha Dunnahoe: bass, keyboards
Karen Teperberg: drums & percussion
Philippe Thibaut: guitar (track 11)
Steve Mattern: keyboards (track 5)
Mary Dagani: flute (track 7)

Steve Adams has been around for a few years in the world of music; especially as a session musician he is much respected. In the beginning of the 90’s he joined Pete Bardens (Camel), with whom he later formed the band Mirage (along with that other ex-Camel member Andy Ward), which transformed into Pete Bardens’ Mirage. With “Camera Obscura”, his third solo album, he delivers a fine album with a lot of variation, which may best be compared to Steve Hackett’s work. The band is composed of Adams and two young ladies (!): Desha Dunnahoe (bass, keys) – who already worked with him in Pete Bardens’ Mirage – and Karen Teperberg (drums). They get some support from a couple of guest musicians.

Most of the album is instrumental, and Adams proves that this can be quite interesting as well. It all starts brilliantly with “In A World With No Sky”, on which an “X-File”-ish synthesizer tune is reinforced with powerful guitar chords. On the bluesy “The Door Stays Open”, the trio get some backup by keyboard player Steve Mattern, who puts down a very prominent Hammond sound. This song is dedicated to the late Pete Bardens, and - not surprisingly - has some similarities to Camel. The cover of Steve Hackett’s “Jacuzzi” is also very well done; guest flutist Mary Dagani does a wonderful job here. On “Perelandra”, Adams continues in typical Hackett-style. The Vai/Satriani-like “Gnomes Uncombed”, shows Adams can shred like the best, something also evident in “Diminished Capacity”, on which he duels with Belgian guest guitarist Philippe Thibaut.

On top of all this instrumental beauty, there are a few songs which feature vocals, and those turn out to be the biggest surprises on the album; Adams has a very pleasant voice. “Silent Divide” could have come right off an Alan Parsons album, not in the least because his voice fits right in the Parsons mould. “Fragile” is a slow and emotional song, with nice lyrics and a fine guitar solo. Save the best for last, Adams must have thought: the fantastic “Wisteria” is again a bit Camel-like and rounds off the album perfectly.

Finally another guitarist whose main concern is NOT showing off his tricks. He is a fantastic and versatile player, but he also writes great songs and he leaves enough room for the other instruments. That’s the way it is supposed to be. A fine album!