Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Hackett, Steve
Label: Inside Out Records
Released: 2017
Running time: 57:40
Rating: 4.5/5
There was no long wait this time for the new studio album from guitar legend Steve Hackett. »The Night Siren« arrived almost exactly two years after Steve delighted us with its excellent predecessor, »Wolflight« (2015). For inspiration, the guitar maestro has gone back to world music in a somewhat bigger way, something he’d flirted with more or less on a few past records too. This time he drew the ideas for his new compositions from the Middle East, from the music of South American peoples, and from the Celtic and Anglo-Saxon worlds that have always been closer to his heart. These world music influences are already audible on the spirited opener »Behind the Smoke«, which features the Persian string instrument tar, played by guest musician Malik Mansurov. Among the prestigious guests, it’s worth mentioning drummer Nick D’Virgilio (Big Big Train, ex-Spock’s Beard), who shines on the unusually playful »Martian Sea«, a track that also features a sitar, and Steve’s brother John, who made a successful return with his flute on »Martian Sea« and »West to East« after years of absence from Steve’s albums. For cooking up these new symphonic prog delicacies, Steve once again had the help of his tried-and-true, long-serving crew of musicians, who’ve also backed him on tour for years: keyboardist Roger King (The Mute Gods), drummer Gary O’Toole and wind player Rob Townsend.
Steve’s colorful blend of Western and Eastern musical influences, paired with his devoted cultivation of his trademark guitar technique, works especially well on the aforementioned masterpiece »West to East«, one of the album’s highlights. Besides his wife Jo on excellent backing vocal harmonies, it features Israeli singer Kobi Farhi (Orphaned Land) and Palestinian-Israeli singer Mira Awad. With this choice of guest vocalists, Steve wanted to show how music can successfully overcome hatred and build bridges between feuding peoples. The collaboration between Steve and Farhi went so well, in fact, that Hackett decided to contribute to Orphaned Land’s upcoming record. According to Steve, »The Night Siren« is a turning point in his long solo career, because for the first time he felt like a singer in the true sense of the word, and he worked quite a bit on improving his vocal technique during the recording.
His vocal progress is immediately noticeable on the non-instrumental tracks, which means you hardly miss the splendid guest singers, like longtime collaborator Nad Sylvan, who appears ‘only’ on »Inca Terra«, amid the rich vocal harmonies on most of the songs. »Inca Terra« is one of those typical Steve romantic, ethereal pieces with lush vocal harmonies and sacral arrangements, the kind a fan of his music has come to almost expect on every new album from the maestro. The dual harmonies between guitar and keyboards are ‘to blame’ for the fact that it all briefly recalls Genesis at their very best, while the world-music-flavored percussion adds a pleasant exotic touch.
The ethereal ballad »In Another Life«, featuring Irish pipes played by Troy Donockley (Nightwish), bathes in Celtic melos, which gives it an incredible atmosphere, further topped off by Steve’s sweet-sounding guitar passages. »In the Skeleton Gallery«, with its slightly creepy and mysterious vibe and its ominous guitar passages, recalls some of Steve’s past work that could easily serve as a soundtrack for all sorts of horror movies. The closing track »The Gift« is built around Steve’s melancholic guitar soloing, backed by gorgeous symphonic arrangements that together conjure up an incredibly relaxing, uplifting ambient magic.
With »The Night Siren«, Mr. Hackett has once again proven that, compared to the rest of the (ex-)Genesis crew, he’s easily the most creative and witty musician around today. He’s stayed proud of his musical roots, and he’s diligently keeping the noblest tradition of symphonic prog rock alive. »The Night Siren« is yet another thoroughly eclectic achievement in Steve’s rich treasure trove of studio artworks. It’s downright incredible how, unlike his old Genesis comrades-in-arms, his respectable number of years is no burden at all. If anything, he seems more driven and determined than ever to carry his music across the world and delight all the fans of old-school prog rock with a world music stamp. This album is in many ways a very successful follow-up to its predecessor »Wolflight«, and apart from a rather generic cover, which does feature a wonderful photo of the aurora borealis, there’s nothing to fault musically. Steve has once again hit the nail on the head, and there’s already no doubt that »The Night Siren« will be among the top contenders for best progressive rock album of 2017.
Lineup
Steve Hackett – guitar and vocals
Roger King – keyboards and programming
Nad Sylvan – vocals (7)
Rob Townsend – winds
Amanda Lehmann – vocals
Gary O’Toole – drums
John Hackett – flute (2 and 8)
Benedict Fenner – additional keyboards and programming (11)
Kobi Farhi – vocals (10)
Mira Awad – vocals (10)
Nick D’Virgilio – drums (2)
Malik Mansurov – tar (1)
Gulli Breim – drums and percussion
Christine Townsend – violin and viola
Dick Driver – double bass
Troy Donockley – Irish whistles (8)
Leslie-Miriam Bennett – keyboards (11)
Ferenc Kovacs – trumpet (3)
Sara Kovacs – didgeridoo (3)
Production
Steve Hackett, Roger King and Benedict Fenner
Track list
1. Behind the Smoke
2. Martian Sea
3. Fifty Miles from the North Pole
4. El Niño
5. Other Side of the Wall
6. Anything but Love
7. Inca Terra
8. In Another Life
9. In the Skeleton Gallery
10. West to East
11. The Gift
