At 61, Steve Hackett continues to fly the flag of early Genesis-style British progressive rock on his ambitious 2011 studio album, Beyond the Shrouded Horizon. He reminds listeners of his majestic approach to electric guitar playing at the outset on "Loch Lomond," and then alternates the heavy rock playing with delicate acoustic work, starting with the brief "Wanderlust," actually an introduction to the longer "Til These Eyes." Some of the songs have vocals with ethereal lyrics, on which Hackett's modest singing voice is supported by several others, including that of his brother, co-songwriter, and flute player John Hackett. A Middle Eastern flavor is added on "Waking to Life" (with guitarist Amanda Lehmann on vocals), while "Looking for Fantasy" has a stately, classical feel, with Hackett contributing nylon-string guitar, leading into the Renaissance-styled "Summer's Breath"…
Having taken Benson along with him when he founded CTI, Creed Taylor merely leaves the guitarist alone with a small group on his first release. The payoff is a superb jazz session where Benson rises to the challenge of the turbulent rhythm section of Jack DeJohnette and Ron Carter, with Clarence Palmer ably manning the organ. Benson is clearly as much at home with DeJohnette's advanced playing as he was in soul/jazz (after all, he did play on some Miles Davis sessions a few years before), and his tone is edgier, with more bite, than it had been for awhile. The lyrical Benson is also on eloquent display in "Ode to a Kudu" (heard twice on the CD, as is "All Clear"), and there is even a somewhat experimental tilt toward Afro-Cuban-Indian rhythms in "Somewhere to the East." A must-hear for all aficionados of Benson's guitar.
Alphaxone & Dronny Darko joins forces on this deep space ambient voyage. Deep drone and atmospheric layering paints both dark and serene scenes for dreaming about the incomprehensible scale of the universe. Recommanded for fans of Drone, Space Ambient and Brooding Dark Ambient.