Steve Hackett Product Reviews  by Andy Garibaldi of CD Services

Darktown

Due out shortly, track 1 is a rock instrumental that sees our guitar hero steaming in with electric guns blazing, and some of the hottest
guitar soloing around. Track 2 recalls parts of King Crimson's "Islands" album with its dark vocals and incendiary sax break above a bass
undercurrent of synths, synth bass, drums while a distant guitar figure spirals in the background, the huge behemoth  of a track lumbering
slowly towards a faeded finale. By now, you are totally awake, and wondeing what on eart is coming next.

So, imagine your surprise when you hear a gentle acoustic guitar intro to a song that has more than its share of elements of Genesis
'Entangled' combined with a track, I think called '34 Mall Street' or something like that, from Stackridge, here with what sounds like a full
orchestra replacing the lone violin of the latter, and a spellbiniding piece of beauty it is too. The next and similar track is a sort of richly
textured, symphonic prog vein, with orchetral layers, heavenly choirs and yeraning vocals, strange voice samples and with leanings
towards Lee Saunders war-laden atmospherics. Track 5 is a simple 3 minute ballad with strings and acoustic guitars. Track 6 gently
gallops along with piano, layers of drums and percussion, more strings, loping bass, a sense of space, lightly plucked acoustic guitars and a
song that is more patoral than anything else, with a hint of swirling guitar at brief intervals, with more lilting, delicate vocals.

Track 7 takes us into genuine prog territory for the first time on the album, with what sounds like a mellotron, opening up a composition
that wreaks of Genesis for the first 45 seconds, then, just as you're expecting a slice of prog rock, in comes a sizzling guitar solo that's
absolutely identical to anyhting slow and bluesy from the two Gary Moore blues albums. Around the 4 minute mark - at last - synths,
soaring guitars, bass, drums - it's PROG-ROCK and it's wonderful, and it goes on to the end point at 7 mins, on an instrumental that for
me was the high point of the album. Track 8 starts with a slow, drawled vocal and simple backing before gathering steam and a new
vocalist to crash into a scorching slice of prog-rock with the whole group on full-sounding intensity and some trademark Hackett guitar
work along with some well weird synth fx, huge bass and driving drums, another treat.

Track 9 is an almost Wetton-ish ballad with similar vocal delivery and a light backing from synths and percussion, with a scorching guitar solo
ending the track. Number 10, another instrumental,  sounds like the start to Queen's 'We Will Rock You' with huge drums and searing electric
guitar, is then joined by synths, more guitars and the giant track stops and starts along a ride that lasts just 3 minutes and should have been a
lot longer. Finally track 11 rounds the album off with a synths-dominated ballad that has echoes of Moody Blues or even 10CC, but with a mix
of spoken vocals and sung bits, an expansive orchestral style backing, big harmonies and flowing synths.

That's it. Make of it what you will.