RICK WAKEMAN: The Red Planet (PROGRESSIVE ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

After the releases of Peter Banks' posthumous "Crossover" accompanied by David Cross and Jon Anderson's excellent "1000 Hands", here is another offspring of the family, and not the least, which gratifies us with a new album. At 71 years old, Rick Wakeman presents us "The Red Planet" whose all the titles are inspired by the geography of Mars.

The whimsical keyboard player got us used to the best and the worst, able to produce sometimes indigestible pompous records, saturated with ridiculous choruses and boring narrations. But for this new album, Rick Wakeman goes back to basics, surrounding himself only with The English Rock Ensemble, a group who have accompanied him since 1974 on some of his albums and in concert, and currently made up of Dave Colquhoun on guitar, Lee Pomeroy on bass and Ash Soan on drums.

"The Red Planet" is entirely instrumental and, of course, keyboards play a major role. Acoustic, analog or digital, amateurs won't be disappointed (even if the acoustics are little used, the piano only makes its way through a short but beautiful break on 'South Pole'). But the other instruments don't serve as a stooge: the bouncy and rumbling bass offers us a real festival from one end to the other, the drums give all the necessary relief of its fine and muscular playing (special mention for its performance on 'Valles Marineris') and the guitar offers some nice solos ('Aseraeus Mons') or plays it acoustically ('Arsia Mons').

The compositions are most often lively, flowingly linking themes in the great progressive tradition. If the music is not really cinematic, it is easy and pleasant to access: no headache to fear, the record goes very well on the first listening. Rick Wakeman has kept the sunny side of Yes: the titles often leave an impression of lightness and well-being, without any trace of bitterness or nostalgia.

The only reproach that can be made to the album is its lack of sensitivity. No shiver, no emotion, no spleen, comes out of listening. "The Red Planet" is not necessarily a great record, but a record that we listen to with pleasure, which is already not so bad. - Official website

RICK WAKEMAN

THE RED PLANET

AUTRE LABEL

PROGRESSIVE ROCK