Simple Minds
Walk Between Worlds

With "Walk Between Worlds," their eighteenth studio album, Simple Minds complete a path of rebirth that began tentatively with the decent "Cry" in 2002 and was perfected with the excellent "Big Music" four years ago.

Having reclaimed the Top 20 and critical acclaim (The Times has already dubbed the new record "album of the week"), for Jim Kerr and company, it's now time for a definitive comeback. If yet another lineup reshuffle (drummer Mel Gaynor and keyboardist Andy Gillespie out, Catherine AD – better known as The Anchoress – percussionist Cherisse Osei, and multi-instrumentalist Gordy Goudei in) could have raised fears of yet another stumble for the historic band, the first notes of the album quickly dispel this doubt.

"Magic," placed in the opening and chosen as the lead single, is an excellent track and flawlessly blends the grandeur of early Simple Minds with the desire to venture into unexplored territories of the more recent ones. It gets even better with the following "Summer," rougher but still recognizable. "Utopia," vaguely Arabesque and wonderfully enriched by a sumptuous rhythmic section, is another convincing episode, and it introduces us to the more essential (and also beautiful) "The Signal And The Noise," an absolute testament to the band's stellar form, which doesn't lose an ounce of its incisiveness despite the less bombastic nature of the track compared to the first songs on the tracklist.

After "In Dreams," the track closest to dance on the album, it's Burchill's moment; and it's a great listen. "Barrowland Star" is sumptuous, beautiful, in full Simple Minds style without ever seeming senile or ridiculous; Burchill goes wild on the six strings, and it results in one of the most beautiful pieces offered by the band in the last sixteen years. After a return to danceable shores in the title track, the album concludes with its true masterpiece; "Sense Of Discovery" is the track that marks the band's definitive rebirth. Beautiful, epic; played, produced, arranged, and interpreted by Kerr incredibly (producers Andy Wright and Gavin Goldberg confirmed from "Big Music"). A remarkable seal at the end of a beautiful album that, at times, truly has something miraculous.

The best quality of Kerr and company, we can now say, has been their patience in navigating a challenging decade. Where other bands would have given up, Simple Minds had the guts to piece together the fragments and start over. Now they enjoy a beautiful and complete album, which, despite containing only eight tracks in the standard edition (another great merit, zero fillers and lots of substance), rightfully ranks among their best works, at least in the troubled second part of their career.

Welcome back!

Best track: Sense Of Discovery