Steve Hackett – The Circus and the Whale

With The Circus and the Whale, Steve Hackett creates a new work that is as majestic as it is finely crafted.

And thirty solo albums for Steve Hackett. The former Genesis guitarist, who largely participated in the glory of certain major works of the group, Foxtrot and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway in the lead, continues to enchant his fans with beautiful melodies and majestic atmospheres. It is therefore with particular care that he presents The Circus and the Whale, an abundant and careful disc, faithful to the habits of the musician, who loses neither his taste for grandeur nor his talent.

In thirteen pieces, the guitarist reviews various atmospheres, whether it is the catchy mid-tempo “Taking You Down”, the incredible ballad “Ghost Moon and Living Love”, with magnificent melodies, or even the powerful “Breakout”. The guitarist shines in every second of the record, through the intoxicating oriental ambiances of “Circo Inferno”, the magical riffs of “Into The Nightwale” or the hypnotic arpeggios of the final instrumental “White Dove”.

Living up to its grandiose musical ambitions, the orchestra is finely tuned, with an imperial Nad Sylvain on vocals, Roger King on keyboards and orchestral arrangements, not forgetting the virtuoso Rob Townsend on saxophone.

Recounting an adventure that resembles an initiatory rite, Steve Hackett mixes fantastical and autobiographical elements. He thus delivers a work as profound as it is sincere, where magic meets goldsmithing.

Find this review on Steve Hackett’s new album in WECB l’Hebdo n°148, available via our online store.

The Circus and the Whale is available

Here is the tracklist:

1. People Of The Smoke
2. These Passing Clouds
3. Taking You Down
4. Found And Lost
5. Enter The Ring
6. Get Me Out
7. Ghost Moon And Living Love
8. Circo Inferno
9. Breakout
10. All At Sea
11. Into The Nightwhale
12. Wherever You Are
13. White Dove