Band:
John Wetton: vocals, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards
Billy Sherwood: all instruments, except as noted in the tracklisting
Discography:
Caught in the Crossfire (1980)
King's Road (1987)
Voice Mail (1992)
Battle Lines (1995)
Arkangel (1997)
Chasing the Deer (film soundtrack)(1998)
Monkey Business (1998)
Welcome to Heaven / Sinister (2000)
Rock of Faith (2003)
Guests:
Steve Morse: Guitar
Robert Fripp: Guitar
Mick Box: Guitar
Steve Hackett: Guitar
Alex Machacek: Guitar
Tony Kaye: Keyboards
Geoff Downes: Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Eddie Jobson: Violin
Anneke Van Giersbergen: Vocals
Info
Produced and Mixed by Billy Sherwood
Released 1/7-2011
Reviewed 3/7-2011
Links:
johnwetton.co.uk
asia
myspace
frontiers
Musically it is very melodic in the borderland between pop and rock with crystal clear production and elements of classical music, as well as some elaborate arrangements. There is a big variety between the tracks on the album, both tempo wise, in heaviness and energy. I would however say that this variety does not make it incoherent or vague, it feels as though there is a sense of symmetry throughout the tracks on the album. Eleven tracks and almost fifty five minutes of music is what we are served by this man apparently from a zoo somewhere, or maybe a basement who knows.
There are several very good points on this album, one of those are of course the great fine tuned production which brings out the songs in full bloom. A dominating force is of course the voice of Wetton which places itself as a force above everything else bringing that extra leap in quality to the album. John has a great voice but for everyone who knows anything already knew that of course.
I think that John Wetton and his music comes really good and reaches its real high notes when the tempo comes down and becomes really soft. Songs like Goodbye to Elsinore and Steffi’s Ring which are tracks that are fantastic, brilliant is a word that covers it rather well actually and now when writing and listening to the album I find myself wanting more of these songs. I am not sure however, that more of these songs would be right because it could be due to them being so different from the rest of the material on the album.
Speaking of the rest of the songs, there are more songs than said ones that are really worth mentioning. The opening track called Lost for Words is a very good opening track that gives you a positive in to start up the album, it also in a good way summarise a lot of what this album is about, a good introduction. It is followed by the title track which is another top notch high quality track which brings joy to me as a listener. The Devil and the Opera House is a great song that I like very much as well, also an amazing tune that brings great joy to me as a music fan. I also have to mention the ending track which is called Mighty Rivers where John sings a great duet with Anneke Van Giersbergen, that is one great way to end one great album.
You will be hard pressed to find anything really wrong with this album, and whatever little small niggle you might have just feel pityful and pathetic to even care about. I think that saying that all aspects of this album are really good is not only well done by me it is also very correct and correct is something that I am at all time. So with no negative aspects to the album a high rating is not only fair, it is the only thing I can award this album as I really like it.
It is an album I think will appeal to any fan of music but even more so to fans of Asia, one could actually say that this album is a little bit like a scaled down, toned down version of Asia which of course is a band where Johns voice is the focal point. If you are one of the readers that are more into the heavy metal stuff and the even heavier stuff, then you might not find this completely to your liking as it is neither headbanging stuff, nor satanic growly stuff.
John Wettons Raised in Captivity is a great album and that notion would apply even if you actually are raised in captivity, this music however is not imprisoned in any way it is free of all constraints and it is in its best moments really brilliant.
HHHHHHH
