Member:
maribor
(Profile)
(All Album Reviews by maribor)
Date:
3/6/2006
Format:
CD (Album)
John Wetton was an integral part of many great progressive bands of the 70s, but from the 80s onward, he decided to change direction to a more commercial pop rock style.
Sinister simply continues in the direction he first went in with Asia. The songs are quite simple in structure, with even bridges being a rarity. But personally, being a big fan of Asia (more the John Payne era, but still) I like simple pop rock songs occasionally. And John Wetton's solo albums scratch this itch quite well.
The album consists of songs you'd expect on a pop rock album. Some tracks are nice straight rock numbers, with lovely guitar riffs almost bordering on hard rock. Here belong songs like “Heart of darkness”, “Where do we go from here” and a few other songs.
Another part of the album consists of mostly ballad-type love songs. “No ordinary miracle” and “Silently” are two of those songs, and I find this part of the album a bit boring. The cheesy lyrics and the whining vocal melodies just don't work for me. Still, the lyrics are mostly better than the lyrics Wetton wrote for Asia.
There are a couple of tracks that are out of place on this album but add a nice touch. “E-Scape” is a collaboration of Wetton with his old bandmate Fripp and Ian McDonald. It sounds more like a Fripp soundscape embellished by flute than a Wetton solo song.
Anoher song that's a bit out of place is “Real world”. It's an acoustic number with Steve Hackett on harmonica. It has depressive lyrics with a positive outturn.
The album has several great guest musicians. Along with the aforementioned Fripp, McDonald and Hackett, some of the other guests include John Mitchell, Martin Orford, Gary Chandler, Steve Christey,...
If the album was as good as its guest musicians, it would be a 10 but I'd give it 5.5 out of 10. A nice listen but nothing special. Good for an occasional, more relaxed listen.
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