Andy Briggs

After "The Quest" I was not optimistic that this incarnation of Yes has still "got it". The album, for me, speaking as a Yes fan since 1972, was totally disposable. Yes seemed to have lost the art of writing anything remotely memorable. It was music with no hooks, nothing you can sing in the bath. And if you can't sing Yes in the bath, there's clearly something very wrong indeed. However, "Mirror to the Sky" is *so* much better than "The Quest". It's not 70s Yes, it's not 80s Yes...it's Yes for now. Those of you who are missing Anderson and Wakeman, well, this is not *their* Yes. It's a new band, guided by Steve Howe obviously, but a band with its own sound. A Yes for our time. I love the title track. "Luminosity" and "Magic Potion" are the other standouts for me. But it's all very good indeed. I would rank it as far better than anything they've done in the last decade at least. I can hear throwbacks to "Ritual" and other classic Yes songs occasionally and briefly. As you would expect, the playing on this album is impeccable. There's a *lot* of Steve Howe, but his playing is absolutely amazing here. He produced the album too, and sonically he's done a fantastic job. Billy Sherwood fills Chris Squire's shoes perfectly and his vocals are great too. The only mystery is why Geoff Downes is so under-utilised on this album....he's often hardly there at all. But in lieu of keyboards, I must say that I do love the orchestral elements of this album - the arrangements are perfect. Jon Davison's vocals are really good. He gets a lot of stick, but give the man some credit. He's not *trying* to sound like Jon Anderson - he *does* sound like Jon Anderson. There's a big difference. I've got used to his voice, and it's excellent on this album. Do at least give this album a try. Listen to it on its own terms, not expecting classic Yes , and I think you will be pleasantly surprised. And this one I *will* be singing in the bath. More like this please!