Comments for Renaissance, Tales Of 1001 Nights, Volume II

A good introduction to a fine band. This CD selects from three of their best: "Novella," "A Song For All Seasons" and "Azure d''Or," along with a track from "Live at Carnegie Hall." The studio tracks all include the lush orchestration, topped with the fine piano/bass/guitar/drums of the band, often playing long instrumental pieces that segue into the songs themselves. The vocals, which, even with all this texture, are still Renaissance''s finest feature, are by the great Annie Haslam. Ranging from sweet to shrill, she is somewhere in the league of other British female singers such as Marti Webb and Maggie Reilly. Overall, hearing these songs together on this full CD is almost too rich and a bit overpowering. Still, as a way of getting to know this band, or representing them in your collection, this is a good collection. My only major criticisms would be of the live "Ashes Are Burning": the song itself is fine, but this overlong version, and particularly the extended bass solo, are indulgent and it gets boring. Anyway, it''s really a bonus track on an effectively representitive "Best Of" collection. With other songs as nice as "A Song For All Seasons," "Northern Lights" and "The Winter Tree," I can''t complain. Ian C. Thomas