ALAN PARSONS: The Secret (PROGRESSIVE ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

2019 will be marked by the seal of returns, particularly those of Tool or Galaad. And one of the highlights this year is that of Alan Parsons, who hadn't released an album in almost fifteen years that was far too long for the fans of the mixing console wizard. The last record to date was "A Valid Path" which contained many electronic experiments and had not been able to fully meet its audience due to lack of good feedback from the music press.

However, Alan has not been totally inactive, focusing on what he knows how to do, namely the production and work of a sound engineer, notably by participating in Steven Wilson's "The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)", among others. During 2018, the Frontiers Music label had the good idea to contact Alan to discuss the idea of a new album, thus relaunching his somewhat dormant inspiration. And what better theme than magic to design this new project? It must be said that Alan is a fan of the art of illusion - he is a member of Castle Magic in Los Angeles and practices magic himself.

"The Secret", helped by a host of prestigious guests, undeniably marks a return to compositions free of all the hazardous electronic errors that scattered "A Valid Path" by adopting a more pronounced symphonic aspect, as evidenced by the well named "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" arranged in a Parsons style with the help of the CMG Music Recording Orchestra of Hollywood. The bass of Nathan East (Eric Clapton) brings a new, almost heavy rhythmic dimension to this classical piece, underlining the main melodic line played by Steve Hackett. But the interest of the title is the intervention of Jake Shimabukuro with his ukulele which brings a surprising touch to the orchestral piece.

After this grandiloquent overture, which perfectly fits the theme, the listener returns to the classy pop that is the charm of Alan Parsons' compositions, with in particular "Miracle" sung by Jason Mraz, which echoes the classic "Eye In The Sky" without having the same intensity as his eldest. Thus the album undeniably returns to the symphonico-pop works that the composer could propose in his Alan Parsons Project, notably in the very beautiful "As Lights Fall" with its refreshing 80's rhythmic. This fusion is much more present in 'One Note Symphony' with its strings that constitute the melodic framework, a robotic song and samples from discussions that took place internally at NASA.

Alan Parsons is not a monster of technique and prefers above all accessible melody, at the risk of sometimes being a little too cliché as in 'Sometimes' which could constitute the soundtrack of the most typical romantic film of the 80s. However, he shows all his talent as a melodist in tracks reminiscent of the Beatles ('Fly To Me'), or more consistent with less overplayed saxophone lines that bring a little more relief to the tracks ('Requiem', 'Years Of Glory)

"The Secret" is an album that, despite its little flaws, will please Alan Parsons' (Project) fans from the first hour who abandons electronic experimentations to return to more organic melodies, to a classy pop tinged with symphony, reconnecting with its glorious past without reaching the same grandeur. - Official website

ALAN PARSONS

THE SECRET

FRONTIERS RECORDS

PROGRESSIVE ROCK