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Peter (Gabriel) knocks and Steve responds, indeed! Just over two months after the long-awaited release of the work by his former bandmate from the illustrious Genesis, Hackett delivers yet another solo album. Or so to speak, given the now well-established lineup of splendid musicians led by him, who will soon resume touring the world to showcase the new work, as well as revisit the highlights of his fundamental contribution to Genesis: this year it's time to revive: "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway"! There are two substantial differences between the champions (survivors) of contemporary prog. The first one releases "I/O" over twenty years after his previous album of originals, whereas Steve continues to churn out compositions at an impressive rate. Furthermore, I found "I/O" quite sleepy, while "The Circus and the Nightwhale" is a work full of energy that "grabs" from the beginning to the last track, coincidentally (?) the most tranquil: "White Dove."
Having made the promising premise, I delve into the joyous reality of this composition, which can seriously represent the manifesto of New Prog. It adheres so closely to the spirit that permeated that fortunate musical season, long past now, something that, along with the reference above, can help us better understand—if we haven't realized it yet—how Hackett was the primary architect of the masterpieces that enriched our youth and beyond. Not that his previous albums didn't make the Musician's vocation clear, but in this latest effort, his roots and quality are even more evident.
The reason can easily be found in the motivations that drove Steve to compose "The Circus and the Nightwhale," which are mainly autobiographical in nature: it celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the release of his first solo masterpiece "Voyage of Acolyte," and I've written little! A golden jubilee of a highly honored career, with rare breaks and frequent peaks like this latest one, demonstrating a achieved maturity that doesn't make one miss the first work at all; instead, we have greater overall compactness and coherence here.
"The Circus and the NightWhale" is, for all intents and purposes, a concept album featuring Travla as the protagonist, a compressed pseudonym of Traveller, that is, Steve himself and his journey in this life now illuminated by 74 candles. It's no coincidence that the album's beginning is characterized by two symbolic sounds: the locomotive, dear to many composers from Anderson to Guccini to name the first that come to mind, preceded by radio tuning. Steve himself explains their meaning: the Radio was the first instrument with which he engaged with Music, while the locomotive (steam-powered, as was common in the late '50s) was his first means of transportation. Additionally, this scheme of pairing Music with travel, a duo dear to many, reminds me of another great prog author, albeit decidedly less known, Michael Giles, former King Crimson, who developed his "Progress" in 1978 in this way.
Returning to our album, it musically retraces all the main stages of Steve's life, from good to bad fortune, from satisfactions to anguish, the latter excellently reflected in the key tracks: "All at Sea," with admirably painted submarine atmospheres, and "Into the Nightwhale," which is inside the whale, like a modern Jonah; although Travla relies more on himself and his own abilities than on Divine mercy to find the light: his Music. After overcoming the most difficult trial of the vital circus, Steve Travla finally finds Love (his wife Jo, to whom this album is dedicated) and Peace, figuratively represented by a pair of white doves and musically by a duet between a 12-string guitar and mandolin, which closes an album worth having, listening to, and relistening to, just to fully grasp its value. I won't dwell on individual tracks, which would be pedantic in the presence of a concept, but I can't help but point to "Circo Inferno" to fully appreciate our hero's performance ability and underline yet another tribute to Italy, which Steve now visits annually and probably recognizes as the country that propelled and valued him along with Genesis.
After all this symphony, there are also a few blemishes I've identified in the producer's commercial policy: compared to previous works, the vinyl was released without the accompanying CD and at a price higher than average; furthermore, the digital version was released with the Blu-ray in very limited copies, thus leaving only the CD on the domestic market at an exaggerated price. The graphics are quite pleasant, even if the cover features an orca (killer whale) instead of a whale. The technical quality of the vinyl is good, while I heard a fellow reviewer criticize the digital version. A solid score of 4.5, rounded up for the career.
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