Steve Hackett is a guitarist we hear from too infrequently (then again with
guys like Hackett, Martin Barre, David Gilmour, I’d be happy to hear new music
from them monthly!) His new one Out Of The Tunnel’s Mouth is
a mélange (can I use that word in mixed company?) of styles, trills,
tricks and trappings from a man who is as masterful on electric guitar as he
is on classical.
Beginning with the melancholy “Fire On The Moon,” the guitarist sings
(there’s a slight effect to his vocals throughout the CD) over a toy piano backing,
creating a childlike ambience quickly dispatched when the choruses kick in with
their deeply dramatic drawl. The time-honored drama of prog is evident from
the get-go.
We’re quickly into a different vibe though with Hackett’s more-than-masterful
classical guitar work during “Nomads.” Take note, these first two
feature Yes bassist Chris Squire (Hackett and Squire have another project in
the works). Hackett also had the good sense (or fortune) to invite the man he
replaced in Genesis, Anthony ‘Ant’ Phillips, to play 12-string on “Emerald
And Ash.” This is a well-written piece with a sweet opening featuring
Ant’s 12-string and a drastic change at the end that allows Hackett to wail.
This sets things up perfectly for “Tubehead” and Hackett’s first
real foray into guitar pyrotechnics. Even at his loudest, he can never be mistaken
for a shredder; his phrasing is simply too stylized with carefully chosen notes
even when he is playing blistering fast through this instrumental. “Sleepies,”
a heartbreakingly strong song, follows with a lush bit of Hackett’s classical
guitar, Christine Townsend’s violin and viola and the doubled bow bass of Dick
Driver. Well into the track, Roger King offers up some wild drumming while more
guitar comes wailing over the top of what sounds at times like a movie soundtrack.
Yet another example of Hackett’s maturity as a real good songwriter, though
to be fair, this one is a collaboration with three other writers. There’s
more acoustic guitar to open them instrumental “Ghost In The Glass.”
This one more than any other showcases Hackett’s signature electric sound with
what might be one of the most expressive leads in the whole tunnel. If I have
any complaint it is that it is simply too short.
There’s the blues roll of “Still Waters,” probably the most commercial
song of the eight here, with spot-on backing vocals from Jo Lehmann, Amanda
Lehmann and Lauren King. If anything, Hackett reminds me of David Gilmour, with
his vocals and blues intonations (as Hackett suggests, “Pulse of New Orleans”).
When he plays a lead, comparisons to other guitar players (even one like Gilmore)
go south.
“Last Train To Istanbul” ends the CD, and it is unlike everything
before it. Embellished with Middle-Eastern flavorings and “frenetic whirling
dervishes” (as Hackett refers to them calls them), the guitarist sings
around the spooky guitar flourishes in the full tapestry of the mix. What can
I say about this collection? Out Of The Tunnel’s Mouth has
a mouth-watering range of styles, top-shelf playing and solid songwriting. This
is a must-have for guitar fans, Genesis fans, and, of course, Steve Hackett
fans.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
