British singer Jon Anderson had to withdraw from Yes in 2008 due to illness, the group he founded himself in the late 1960s. For Yes, which has been struggling for decades and (in its own words) usually tours with the first five (former) members who show up, this was no reason to stop. Anderson, once recovered, stayed away from the group and contacted keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who has had an on-again,
… off-again relationship with Yes since the seventies. A good idea because the pair sound rarely inspired by The Living Tree. Wakeman especially graciously touches the grand piano and sparingly supplements this with light synthesizer sounds. A setting against which Anderson sings with his husky and high voice as serene as catchy melodies that sometimes remind you of the Yes of yesteryear. The nine rustic songs have an almost classic feel to this extremely fruitful collaboration between two prog giants. (MR)more
