Band : Asia

Album title : Phoenix

Label : Frontiers

Distributor : Rough Trade

Release date : 11/04/2008

Release : CD

After Asia 's 2006 reunion in its original line-up of John Wetton (vocals & bass), Steve Howe (guitars & backing vocals), Geoff Downes (keyboards & backing vocals), and Carl Palmer (drums), the reformed band set out on the road for two world tours, from which the double live album and DVD Fantasia Live In Tokyo was culled (released in August 2008, album review posted 12/08/2007 and therefore still yours to use for your fact-finding quests).

Since last Summer the four have been active composing and recording the 12 songs we now find on this, the foursome's first studio recording in 25 years (let's not forget that the original line-up only produced the first Asia albums, the 1982 self-titled debut and 1983's Alpha , albums which were well promoted through the then rising possibilities of upcoming music TV-channel MTV , albums which got the band their highest sales figures...as afterwards the changing line-ups did not quite fare as well). One things which becomes clear within the first listening session of the new album, is that Asia 's members have definitely grown individually towards a common goal. Even though they were already accomplished musicians back in the '80s, it's always been my belief that the guitarist felt troubled in not being able to express his more progressively tainted music within the Asia confines. Indeed, while most of the songs still have that light-hearted Pop affinity which was so typical of the band's first two albums, I feel it's safe to say that this new material definitely also shows the more Prog-oriented hand of the famed Yes guitarist. Two tracks on the album ( "Sleeping Gian/ No Way Back/ reprise" and Parallel Worlds/ Vortex/ Deya" ) are in fact a compilation/ compressing of sorts and thereby become 8-minute-plus in length! Of course, even in the material Downes and Wetton have been doin' in the last couple of years, you can speak of a certain gearing towards a slightly progressive direction, but it's evident that they needed a man the size of Howe to complete the musical picture! Palmer of course delivers the necessary stable but versatile foundation for the others to work on, and combined with Wetton 's signature bass play and the totally in-sink keyboard thumping of friend Downes , the guys bring us an album which sounds the way an album played by these 4 great musicians shoùld sound, each giving each other the time and place to express his own musical versatility. On top of that, of course, there's the unmistakable John Wetton voice, backed by the incredible backing vocals we're used of! Their working together again clearly inspired the guys, because the 12 songs add up to no less than almost 65 minutes worth of aural pleasures.

To conclude I can only say this: Asia is back...now let's hope they can keep it together for many years to come! As for my personal, or yours, for that fact, appreciation of the band's new album...when conpared with their earliest material, I have to admit that Phoenix ' material may be somewhat more difficult to digest (due to the enhanced Prog elements), but it would be unfair to say that it is therefore less worthy than those old hit songs which have had all the time in the world (well, 25 years) to become incrusted in our minds and hearts. It simply means Phoenix needs some time to get fused to the neurons...but incrusted into our hearts it certainly will! For now, let's give the album an almost-perfect rating.

95/100

Tony.