Peter Gee - A Vision of Angels



1. Always (10:12) 2. Heart's Desire (6:43) 3. Lost and Found (6:14) 4. Faith (3:53) 5. Never Could Say Goodbye (5:10) 6. Orphans (All Alone in the World) (8:56) 7. Foreign Land (2:42) 8. Jordan (9:13) 9. I Believe In Love (3:53)

Total Running Time: 56:56

Yet another album where one has to get things clear right from the start: this is not a Pendragon album. What would be the point for Peter Gee of releasing a solo album then? Trying to cash in on the success of his main band perhaps? No, after listening to A Vision of Angels, it is crystal clear that this man has not only an intact integrity, but also the will and vision to explore other avenues of music instead of confining himself to repeating what Pendragon has already done. Moreover, in these times when religions are used as excuses to engage in discriminatory acts of violence and uncontrolled hatred, it's both refreshing and heartening to listen to a record that draws its lyrical inspiration from passages of the Bible in order to convey a message of the one and only thing that most religions are really supposed to be about: love.

Despite the fact that the musicians featured on the album read like a list of Great Britain's progressive finest, and that the album's tracks are more often than not on the lengthier side of the spectrum, do yourself a favor; don't expect progressive rock. With a balance that seems to sway comfortably between pleasant lounge jazz and songs that could very well be considered as Church music with an innocently faithful outlook, this is probably as far as Gee could manage to get away from prog rock. Leaving one's roots, of course, is not always that simple, and as such the album's excellent opening track, "Always," has a hint of neo-prog lurking in the back, which is never quite brought to the foreground.

The fact that an album isn't progressive, however, certainly doesn't mean that it's not good. And when this album is looked upon with that naïve innocence of children looking up wistfully at paintings depicting benevolent angels, it certainly manages to draw a kind smile from the listener, in no small part because of Simon Clew's unquestionable ability of bringing that very same childlike attitude to vocal entelechy. Generally speaking, this is an album of religious fervor surrounded by hymnal pieces such as "Foreign Land" and "Faith" and melancholic lounge jazz excursions like "Never Could Say Goodbye;" something that may not really appeal to those who focus their tastes only on progressive rock. For other people out there though, especially for those who don't find Church music too peaceful after a while, this can prove to be quite enjoyable.

-by Marcelo Silveyra

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