STEVE HOWE - The Steve Howe Album (1979-2011) RM / SHM-CD / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Steve Howe's second solo effort is his most essential recording. The Steve Howe Album contains many of Howe's strongest and most original compositions. Whereas some of his albums can be associated with the sound of the bands in which he's played, this release is unique. Howe places himself in a country/bluegrass setting on most of the compositions, and that is what makes this project so appealing -- he's a rock veteran venturing outside of his field. And with Graham Preskett playing violin on "The Continental," Howe turns in what sounds like a real hoedown. The first track, "Pennants," is a gem for the more rock-oriented fan. The cut opens with the sweet, resonant, rocking sounds of Howe's Fender Telecaster; he then adds mandolin and a pervasive twin-neck steel, while drummer Alan White keeps it all rhythmic. Half of the tracks are played by Howe alone, most notably "Surface Tension," his composition for solo Spanish guitar. Other cuts feature former Yes-mates White, Bill Bruford, and Patrick Moraz (all of whom participated on Howe's first solo album), and Claire Hamill, who sings beautifully on "Look Over Your Shoulder." Only one other cut includes vocals: "All's a Chord," on which Howe's singing is awkward but appealing. The song, comprised of several movements and musical styles (including classical), features Howe on eight different stringed instruments, including bass, pedal steel, sitar, banjo, mandolin, and his trademark deep-bodied electric-acoustic Gibson ES 175 D. The final two pieces are set apart from the rest of the recordings. On both compositions, equipped only with his Gibson Les Paul, Howe is accompanied by a string ensemble on his interpretation of Vivaldi's Concerto in D, Second Movement, and by a 59-piece orchestra on "Double Rondo." Andrew Jackman (who served as orchestrator and conductor on Chris Squire's Fish Out of Water several years earlier) conducts. The Steve Howe Album is a culmination of everything Howe represents, every genre of music he loves so dearly, exquisitely played and arranged. The inside cover colorfully depicts all the stringed instruments Howe used on the recordings, and Roger Dean's cover painting makes the package complete. The sound quality of the Japanese import compact disc is unsurpassed, incredibly sharp and vibrant. by David Ross Smith  
Tracklist:
1 Pennants 4:30
Drums – Alan White
Guitar, Bass, Written-By – Steve Howe
Synthesizer – Ronnie Leahy
2 Cactus Boogie 2:02
Guitar, Bass, Synthesizer [Moog], Vocals, Written-By – Steve Howe
Percussion – Clive Bunker
3 All's A Chord 4:56
Drums – Bill Bruford
Guitar, Bass, Synthesizer [Moog], Vocals, Written-By – Steve Howe
Piano – Patrick Moraz
4 Diary Of A Man Who Vanished 2:34
Electric Guitar, Written-By – Steve Howe
5 Look Over Your Shoulder 5:02
Drums – Alan White
Guitar, Bass, Written-By – Steve Howe
Organ [Hammond] – Ronnie Leahy
Vocals – Clair Hammill
6 Meadow Rag 2:41
Guitar, Written-By – Steve Howe
7 The Continental 2:51
Guitar, Bass – Steve Howe
Violin – Graham Presket
Written-By – Con Conrad, Herbert Magidson
8 Surface Tension 3:29
Guitar, Written-By – Steve Howe
9 Double Rondo 8:12
Conductor [59 Piece Orchestra], Orchestrated By – Andrew Jackman
Electric Guitar, Written-By – Steve Howe
10 Concerto In D (2nd Movement) 4:51
Arranged By, Electric Guitar – Steve Howe
Written-By – Vivaldi