Laurence Gowan is (I have to guess, Majestic do like to keep you in the dark sometimes) a pianist and vocalist with some rock leanings and this compilation (guessing again) covers the last 15 years or so. Several tracks see him playing solo live (just vocals/piano) and while there's some good tunes, it occasionally veers dangerously close to Yanni.

The other tracks feature a variety of musicians (including King Crimson's Tony Levin), but the music is always particularly strong. All the instruments work well together to produce a heavy sound with nothing standing out in particular, with Gowan's vocals and piano the constant factor.

There's nothing really wrong with most of the music, it's just there's nothing grabbing or interesting or good enough to really get into. A few catchy tunes but that's it. And a few songs new to CD. I'm sure Gowan and Majestic could do a lot better.

**

Review by Joe Geesin

***** Out of this world | **** Pretty damn fine |
*** OK, approach with caution unless you are a fan |
** Instant bargain bin fodder | * Ugly. Just ugly