Anderson/Stolt
"Invention Of Knowledge"

Some time ago, two significant personalities from the Prog world met and decided to collaborate, producing a synergistic album. We are talking about Jon Anderson (the classic voice of Yes, as well as the author of good solo albums and collaborations with none other than Vangelis... if you don't know who that is, you need to catch up!) and Roine Stolt, leader of the Swedish band The Flower Kings (and a member of the supergroup Transatlantic, as well as the author of a good selection of albums under his own name).

There's little left to say about Jon Anderson; his vocal timbre is so unique and distinctive that it’s recognizable upon first listen, as is his lyrical fervor and approach to singing (in a way, he is to be credited for the New Age aura of some Yes compositions). His voice may be liked or not, there's no doubt about that, but the charm associated with it cannot be disputed. And Roine Stolt? He probably does not enjoy the same level of fame, although he is not unknown, and the abundant discography of The Flower Kings demonstrates his overflowing creativity (obviously supported by talented companions). Stolt is primarily a guitarist, characterized by a rather warm and rich style, sometimes jazzy, while vocally, he possesses a fairly personal timbre, although perhaps not excessively incisive.

Having made this necessary clarification, what do we have in front of us? "Invention Of Knowledge," besides a beautiful cover, offers an hour and a quarter of music, with pieces of reasonable length, of good craftsmanship certainly, but... the center of gravity of the album leans a bit too much on Anderson's side, and it couldn't be otherwise given the artistic stature of the singer. However, this ends up stifling the Swedish contribution, who manages to rise only in moments of calm, during which he takes the reins and finds space for his guitar.

I find it difficult to present the individual songs because, for better or worse, if you're familiar with the blond Englishman, you more or less already know what your ears will find. Perhaps my comment might seem somewhat negative, but it's not meant to be, or rather, I think this collaboration is a sort of partially missed opportunity; perhaps the album could have been more interesting if Anderson had restrained himself a bit and allowed more space for Stolt (I imagine, however, that the Swede, in the presence of such a legend, had nothing but unconditional admiration; that's understandable).

If you're fans of Yes, you'll find an album that's decidedly more subdued instrumentally, but with ample space dedicated to the Andersonian "vision." If you're fans of The Flower Kings, on the other hand... you’ll find almost nothing of the Scandinavian band, except for brief moments here and there.

In summary, it is an overall good album (and understandably so, given the authors), but it could perhaps have been better if it had been more daring.