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Confession: I’m not a great Steve Howe fan. But before anyone shoots
me on the spot: I admit he’s an out-of-this world guitarist, with
one of the most recognizable sounds around. It’s just that for me,
he lacks the necessary punch to play in a rock band.
His fans might argue that that is not what Steve Howe is about, and
they’re probably right. He backs this up by releasing his newest
album, “Spectrum” – which delivers exactly what the title promises:
a whole spectrum of styles and sounds that Howe seems quite
comfortable in. He is backed up by his sons Dylan (drums) and Virgil
(keyboards), Rick Wakeman’s son Oliver on keys and ever-reliable
bassist Tony Levin.
I’m not usually attracted by instrumental albums, but this is quite
something else. There’s so much variation, such rich textures – this
is an album that is hard to ignore. Howe plays prog, jazz,
classical, world music, blues and country – all with equal ease (on
“Band Of Light” he even sounds very much like Santana).
Despite (or maybe because of) the rich variety, there aren’t any
dull moments. The constant quality is remarkable - this is a solid
collection of great songs. “Tigers Den”, “Labyrinth”, “Ultra
Definition”, “Realm Thirteen” and “In The Skyway” are just some of
the highlights, offering irresistible melodies, colourful textures,
beautiful sounds and impeccable playing.
It is inevitable that every now and then, you can hear Yes
and
Asia
coming through, but this is essentially a Steve Howe solo album,
which in many ways transcends everything he has done with these
bands. I’m not familiar with any of Howe’s previous solo works, but
if this new one is anything to go by, I seriously need to revise my
opinion of the man.
If
I listen to instrumental albums, this is exactly what they should
sound like. |
