JOHN WETTON - 1998 ARKANGEL

(Review from progarchives.com)

For this solo release, Wetton brought in several progressive heavyweights, including Steve Hackett and Robert Fripp. Strange then that he should record one of his most vocal and pop orientated albums.

There's much more Asia to this album and much less King Crimson/Uriah Heep, indeed many of the songs could have been recorded by Asia had Wetton stayed on. "Nothing Happens For Nothing" for example is an Asia song, pure and simple, with a strong upbeat melody and a catchy hook. There are plenty of ballads and slow acoustic songs too. Of these, the title track and "All Grown Up" are among the most emotional and enjoyable.

The album opens rather deceptively, with a fine if brief instrumental "The Circle of St Giles". The mood of the album though is quickly encapsulated in the pop/rock of "The Last Thing On My Mind" (no relation to the Tom Paxton song), a fine song but far from challenging. The other instrumental, "The Celtic Cross" has more than hint of Mark Knopfler's inspirational theme music for the film "Local Hero".

For those who enjoy the voice of John Wetton, this is a good listen. The songs may be relatively simple, but they are flawlessly performed, and superbly produced.

Track List :
01. The Circle of St. Giles
02. The Last Thing on My Mind
03. Desperate Times
04. I Can't Lie Anymore
05. Arkangel
06. You Against the World
07. Be Careful What You Wish For
08. Emma
09. Nothing Happens for Nothing
10. All Grown Up
11. After All
12. The Celtic Cross
13. Take These Tears (Bonus)

Line-up :
- John Wetton / vocals, bass
with
- Billy Liesgang / guitar
- Steve Hackett / guitar, harmonica
- Robert Fripp / guitar
- Tom Lang / drums
- Misha Calvin / acoustic guitar
- Ramon Vega / acoustic guitar, vocals
- Thomas Radl / bass, vocals
- Richard Plamer-James / guitar, keyboards, programming