Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Hackett, Steve
Label: Inside Out Records
Released: 2015
Running time: 55:36
Rating: 4.5/5
Four years after the release of »Beyond The Shrouded Horizon« (2011), guitar grandmaster Steve Hackett is back with »Wolflight«, an album of brand-new solo material. But four years without new solo compositions by no means means Mr. Hackett has been idle. Quite the opposite: he’s been extremely busy, both with the Squackett project and with reviving the legendary Genesis legacy in the studio and on stage. Even before »Wolflight« came out, there was some justified flak flying at the goofy and rather unfortunate cover, which would surely have looked a lot better with just the wolves on it. But the music is by far the most important part, and here Steve, true to form, hasn’t disappointed.
In fact, it would be a real surprise if he suddenly turned out a subpar record, considering the lineup that helped him bring the album to life. It’s a tried-and-tested crew that has been backing him on tour for years, with musicians of the caliber of bassist/Chapman Stick player/backing vocalist Nick Beggs (Kajagoogoo, Steven Wilson), keyboardist Roger King, drummer/backing vocalist Gary O’Toole, woodwind player/backing vocalist Rob Townsend and backing vocalist Amanda Lehmann.
Steve’s wife Jo Hackett and keyboardist King helped him write the individual »Wolflight« tracks. Every member of Steve’s band has a good-to-decent vocal talent, which gives him the ultimate luxury when it comes to building rich vocal harmonies, and »Wolflight« has no shortage of them. Leaning mostly toward symphonic prog rock, »Wolflight« is overall a pretty standard and therefore high-quality Hackett record, featuring some pleasant world music elements, a few romantic-pastoral touches built on an acoustic base, loads of lush symphonic arrangements and a handful of moments that border on pop rock. Luckily there aren’t too many of those, so there’s no danger of a repeat of misfires on the level of »Cured« (1981) or »Highly Strung« (1983).
As has long been his habit, the guitar innovator serves up a balanced helping of electric and acoustic guitar moments on »Wolflight«, which are also the main reason all lovers of guitar virtuosity will once again enjoy »Woflight«. Steve takes the lead vocal spot more often this time than he usually does on his solo projects, but there’s no need to panic for those who know he was never much of a singer, since the backing harmonies cover him well through most of the »Wolflight« songs, and now and then he gets a hand from a vocoder.
Most of the lyrics on »Wolflight« deal with the human longing for freedom, with Steve taking an adventurous route through the individual songs, visiting different places around the world across different historical periods, from Ancient Greece (»Corycian Fire«) and the Far East (»Wolflight«) to the US during the civil rights struggle and Martin Luther King (»Black Thunder«). On »Love Song To a Vampire«, with old Squackett buddy and special guest Chris Squire (Yes) on bass guitar, Steve touches on the issue of domestic violence, while on the playful, at times almost pop-rocky »The Wheel’s Turning« he looks back on his childhood. The dramatic opener »Out of the Body« is dressed up with lush orchestral arrangements, and Steve’s electric guitar variations keep the symphonic realm company, not shying away from some Arabic-spiced scales. The title track brings in Far Eastern elements, colorful electric guitar passages and rich vocal harmonies that sound like they come from some ancient era.
»Wolflight« is a classic Hackett album, made the way most of his fans want it and a worthy follow-up to the best moments of his solo career, even if it brings nothing thrillingly innovative, since it once again relies on a thoroughly tested and successful formula. A very good balance between electric and acoustic, neoclassical moments, excellent use of orchestral elements, vocal harmonies and a variety of world music influences, all backed by adventurous lyrics, means »Wolflight« easily carries the listener off on a wonderful and intense musical adventure. And that, obviously, was exactly the main point of Steve’s latest studio effort.
Lineup
Steve Hackett electric guitar, acoustic guitar, Arabic flute, twelve-string guitar, lead vocals
Roger King – keyboards and programming
Rob Townsend saxophone, duduk
Nick Beggs – bass guitar and Chapman Stick
Amanda Lehmann – harmony vocals
Gary O’Toole – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Malik Mansurov – tar
Sara Kovaсs – didgeridoo
Chris Squire (Yes) – bass guitar (3)
Hugo Dagenhardt – drums (9)
Production
Steve Hackett
Track List
1. Out of the Body (2:29)
2. Wolflight (8:00)
3. Love Song to a Vampire (9:18)
4. The Wheel’s Turning (7:24)
5. Corycian Fire (5:47)
6. Earthshine (3:20)
7. Loving Sea (3:22)
8. Black Thunder (7:32)
9. Dust and Dreams (5:33)
10. Heart Song (2:51)
