With “The Circus and the Whale” Steve Hackett creates a new work that is as majestic as it is finely crafted.
And thirty solo albums for Steve Hackett. The former Genesis guitarist, who was instrumental in the fame of some of the group's major works, Foxtrot and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, continues to enchant fans with beautiful melodies and majestic atmospheres. It is therefore with particular care that he presents “The Circus and the Whale”, a rich and careful CD that remains faithful to the habits of the musician who does not lose his taste for greatness or his talent.
In thirteen pieces, the guitarist reflects on different atmospheres, be it the catchy mid-tempo “Taking You Down”, the incredible ballad “Ghost Moon and Living Love” with great melodies or even the powerful “Breakout”. The guitarist shines in every second of the record, through the intoxicating oriental atmosphere of “Circo Inferno”, the magical riffs of “Into The Nightwale” or the hypnotic arpeggios of the closing instrumental “White Dove”.
The orchestra lives up to its grandiose musical ambitions and is finely tuned, with an imperial Nad Sylvain on vocals, Roger King on keyboards and orchestral arrangements, not forgetting virtuoso Rob Townsend on saxophone.
Steve Hackett tells an adventure that resembles a rite of passage, mixing fantastical and autobiographical elements. He delivers a work that is as profound as it is sincere, in which magic meets goldsmith's art.
Matthew David
This review of Steve Hackett's new album can be found in Rolling Stone l'Hebdo No. 148, available in our online shop.
The circus and the whale are available
Here is the tracklist: