Release date: 04/26/2019
Label: Frontiers Records
Production: Alan Parsons
Length: 48:31
Genre: art rock
Rating: 8.5/10
Alan Parsons, the cult English musician, producer and sound engineer, took a full fifteen years to follow up the mostly electronic-leaning “A Valid Path” (2004) with a new studio album, “The Secret”. His fans waited impatiently and have finally got it, and in the tradition of Alan’s past studio projects, it features an enviable number of excellent guest musicians. The standouts include former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett, former Foreigner singer Lou Gramm, cult drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, bass virtuoso Guy Erez, top-notch guitarist Jeff Kolman and popular singer Jason Mraz. Of Alan’s longtime collaborators, two came back for “The Secret”: guitar master Ian Bairnson, who has been loyal to Alan since the early days of The Alan Parsons Project, and singer P.J. Olsson, who has been the lead vocalist on Alan’s live tours in recent years.
Let’s say right off the bat that “The Secret” isn’t exactly one of the peaks of Alan’s career, but it’s still a very good album that lived up to some of the high expectations. As for the traditional production perfectionism, there’s really no point in even mentioning it. Alan doesn’t quite come clean on whether “The Secret” continues his tradition of concept albums, but most of the lyrics carry Parsons’ favorite theme: the eternal question of where the line between magic and science lies.
“The Secret” kicks off with a prog-rock, unusually experimental surprise in the form of the instrumental “The Sorcerrer’s Apprentice”, which, thanks to Hackett’s trademark guitar touches, sounds more like some of the legendary guitarist’s solo work than Alan’s past instrumental feats. It all comes across as very adventurous and quite different from what most people probably expected, and Alan deserves credit for occasionally remembering his prog-rock roots.
The next piece, “Miracle”, with Jason Mraz on lead vocals, is far more commercially minded and has Alan’s classic, instantly recognizable songwriting touch: characteristic melancholic-melodic arrangements, subtle rhythmic nuances on the border between art rock and pop rock, and a catchy, ultra-melodic chorus.
Longtime fans will instantly pick up on some similarities to The Alan Parsons’ biggest hit, “Eye in the Sky”, while listening to “As Lights Fall”, where the production master himself takes the lead vocals. The main arrangement and the vocal melody do sound a bit like that unforgettable evergreen, but the predominantly acoustic passages and the chorus carry it into completely different, ambient waters. Alan’s voice sounds a bit like that of his late Alan Parson Project partner-in-crime Eric Woolfson, which is why it works so well on the more ballad-leaning pieces.
The pompous “One Note Symphony” is, as its title suggests, a symphonic art rocker, where Todd Cooper wows with an excellent vocal performance. The power ballad “Sometimes”, where Lou Gramm shines with brilliant singing, also features mighty orchestral arrangements. Anyone who wondered back in the eighties what a close encounter between The Alan Parsons Project and Foreigner would sound like will finally get their answer.
“Soiree Fantastique”, where Mr. Parsons and Cooper share the vocal harmonies on a hypnotic chorus, is one of the highlights of “The Secret” with its mysterious atmosphere. The symphonic-psychedelic “Fly to Me” stands out thanks to its melancholic guitar solo and the vocal approach of Mark Mikel (ex-The Pillbugs), whose voice sounds like a cross between Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Having at least one Beatles sonic reference on “The Secret” is hardly a surprise, considering that as a young sound engineer Alan worked on both farewell albums of the most important band in rock history.
The slightly jazzy “Requiem” with Cooper, who this time not only handles the lead vocals but also plays some passionate saxophone parts, is among the most energetic moments on “The Secret”. The orchestral ballad “Years of Glory”, where P.J. Olsson takes the vocal baton again, will remind many people of some of the unforgettable Alan Parsons Project ballads with its ethereal atmosphere and chorus. “The Limelight Fades Away” with Jordan Huffman at the mic will delight all lovers of AOR and most of the bands signed to Alan’s current label, Frontiers Records. “I Can’t Get There from Here”, where Jared Mahone takes the vocal command, is a farewell ballad with grand orchestral arrangements and a really tasteful guitar solo, which makes for an ambient, utterly beautiful ending to the album.
With “The Secret”, Mr. Parsons has made a very likable album that turned out almost exactly as most of his fans wished and expected. Even though it mostly doesn’t reach the high standards of The Alan Parson Project’s golden years, it’s one of the better moments of his solo career, especially compared to its predecessor “A Valid Path”, which was a considerable letdown. Apart from the opening experiment, Alan played it pretty ‘safe’ on the songwriting front this time, so as not to stray too far from expected guidelines by accident, but you can’t really blame him for that. Despite a few minor flaws, “The Secret” is a very listenable record that proves that, with the help of some distinguished guests, Alan is still a very vital artist as a songwriter too.
Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Track list:
1. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Instrumental)
2. Miracle
3. As Lights Fall
4. One Note Symphony
5. Sometimes
6. Soiree Fantastique
7. Fly to Me
8. Requiem
9. Years of Glory
10. The Limelight Fades Away
11. I Can’t Get There from Here
Musicians:
Alan Parsons – guitar, keyboards, percussion, lead vocals (3,6)
Jason Mraz – lead vocals (2)
Todd Cooper – lead vocals (4,6,8)
Lou Gramm – lead vocals (5)
Mark Mikel – lead vocals (7)
P.J. Olsson – lead vocals (9)
Jordan Asher Huffman – lead vocals (10)
Jared Mahone – lead vocals (11)
Steve Hackett – guitar (1)
Jeff Kollman – guitar
Dan Tracey – guitar
Tony Rosacci – guitar
Ian Bairnson – guitar (9)
Andy Ellis – keyboards
Tom Brooks – keyboards
Dan Tracey – keyboards
Pat Caddick – piano
Angelo Pizzaro – piano
Nathan East – bass guitar (1)
Guy Erez / Bass
Jeff Peterson / Bass
Vinnie Colaiuta – drums (1)
Danny Thompson – drums
Carl Sorensen – drums
Todd Cooper – saxophone
Michael Fitzpatrick – cello
ake Shimabukuro – ukulele
Oscar Utterström – trombone
Vinnie Ciesielski – trumpet
