Label: Insideout Music
Release date: January 22, 2021
Production: Steve Hackett & Roger King
Album length: 51.15 min
Genre: Progressive Rock
Rating: 9.5/10
Legendary English guitarist Steve Hackett, who helped make progressive rock history way back as a member of the unforgettable Genesis, was in the middle of a North American tour in mid-March 2020 when the news hit him: the remaining concert dates were cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. His move back home to England happened in such a stressful atmosphere that he left all his electric instruments behind without noticing, and when he got home he suddenly realized that all he had on hand were acoustic instruments. That’s when the idea took shape in his head to make his first acoustic album since 2008’s “Tribute.” He pitched it to Inside Out Music and asked what they’d rather see for 2021: an acoustic album or a rock one. The label said they’d love to see both projects happen, which made Mr. Hackett happy too.
So Steve teamed up with his longtime keyboardist Roger King to record a new acoustic-orchestral project called “Under a Mediterranean Sky,” a tribute to some much-loved spots around the Mediterranean and a nod to a few classical composers, such as the Italian Baroque composer Domenico Scarlatti. While making the album, Steve and his wife Jo traveled to Mediterranean locations that are especially dear to him, the ones featured on the individual tracks of “Under a Mediterranean Sky,” and documented it all with promo videos, while Roger King kept busy experimenting with new orchestral samples.
All the compositions on the album, apart from the Baroque drama “Scarlatti Sonata,” a rearranged adaptation of a classical sonata by the aforementioned Scarlatti, were written by Steve and Roger, while Jo took care of the lyrics. On “Casa del Fauno,” the flute is played by Steve’s brother John, who has also been delighting listeners with interesting prog albums over the past fifteen years. Most of the tracks have a nostalgic, romantic atmosphere, so typical of the lion’s share of Steve’s body of work and his (acoustic) guitar technique. The opener, the mysteriously ambient “Mdina (The Walled City),” with which Steve invites us on a trip through the Maltese city of the same name, is an ideal blend of Hackett’s trademark acoustic guitar technique and gorgeous symphonic expanses.
“Adriatic Blue” will win over all the eternal romantics, while “Sirocco,” dedicated to the Mediterranean wind of the same name, comes across as a mysteriously tinged elegy with touches of flamenco. “Joie de Vivre,” a French phrase widely used in the English-speaking world too, meaning a cheerful, carefree life full of joy, features a smart build-up of romantic mood. “The Memory of Myth” slightly recalls some of the acoustic moments from Steve’s Genesis days in its ambience. “Casa Del Fauno,” a continuation of the previous track in style and atmosphere, is an idealistic, romantic journey through ancient Roman forests full of mythological fauns.
“The Dervish And The Djin,” the story of a dancing dervish and a djinn, has the oriental ambience its title promises, along with the use of ‘Arabic’ pentatonic scales. “Lorato” is a stunning embodiment of ambient subtlety and beauty, while “Andalusian Heart” slips cleverly timed flamenco touches on acoustic guitar into the middle of mighty orchestration. “The Call of the Sea” is a romantic, upbeat, almost idealistic way to close out the album.
The acoustic-orchestral adventure “Under a Mediterranean Sky,” a musical journey through the colorful Mediterranean world, is balm for the soul of every Hackett fan who has been seriously missing an acoustic-flavored album from the guitar master over the past decade. Steve has long been considered a master of the acoustic guitar and an artist with a rich catalog of orchestral-leaning music, so it’s no surprise at all that he’s made another excellent acoustic-orchestral record, one you can only talk about in superlatives. Steve is also due to release a rock album later this same year, so fans of his music, who are badly missing new concert dates, will definitely have plenty to look forward to in 2021.
Author: Peter “Dr. ProgRock” Podbrežnik
Track list:
1. Mdina (The Walled City) (8:45)
2. Adriatic Blue (4:51)
3. Sirocco (5:13)
4. Joie de Vivre (3:42)
5. The Memory of Myth (3:29)
6. Scarlatti Sonata (3:40)
7. Casa del Fauno (3:51)
8. The Dervish and the Djin (4:57)
9. Lorato (2:29)
10. Andalusian Heart (5:34)
11. The Call of the Sea (4:44)
Lineup:
Steve Hackett – classical guitar (Steve uses nylon and steel strings), 12-string guitar, oud, charango, sitar, harmonica, vocals
Guest musicians:
Roger King – keyboards, programming, orchestral arrangements
Jo Hackett – vocals
Christine Townsend – violin on track 5
John Hackett – flute
Rob Townsend – flute on track 7 and saxophone on track 8
Malik Mansurov – tar
Arsen Petrosyan – duduk
