Casually, 'Joe Bailey' continues to release albums and 'Ghosts' is now his 6th studio recording since 2015, when his first baby was released 'The End Comes Too Late'. In the meantime, I reviewed in 2018, the fourth album 'A Price to Pay' and 2019 saw the release of 'Less Nothing'.
6 compositions between 4 and nearly 8 minutes long, this is the menu of this opus that takes us on a journey into the progressive universe of Joe with always accessible melodic lines and a predominant use of keyboards, the whole always being supported by heavy bass lines. 'Haunted House' is the perfect example with a memorable melodic theme that kept us spellbound during almost 9 minutes with a beautiful vocal performance by Joe and instrumental sections that alternate beautifully with the sung parts, then, 'River of Spite ', while remaining powerful, is a mid-tempo in a quieter atmosphere with a new heady melody and which highlights different keyboard sounds. With 'Waiting', the introduction to electronic sounds à la 'Jean-Michel Jarre' gives way to a slow and aerian melody with imposing bass then the tempo alternates in the middle of the title with a marked rhythm section to then return to the atmospheric atmosphere which gains momentum for the final. The second part of the album offers us the beautiful and melancholic ballad 'Abracadabra', then, the last two long titles 'Rat Race' and 'Ghosts' are in a more classical construction, verses/chorus with melodies that we tame immediately, the first alternating verses supported by jerky keyboards and a more relaxed chorus and the second offering us an imaginative and varied rock with a remarkable vocal performance, Joe having this talent to adapt his voice according to the atmosphere of each part.
In summary, the Englishman 'Joe Bailey', always so discreet on the web, released a very pleasant album to listen to in the lineage of his previous productions and 'Ghosts' should appeal to an audience loving progressive rock with an easy access thanks to pleasant melodic lines immediately assimilable... | |
