Whenever a new Steve Hackett album releases, I can’t help but feel a sense of appreciation that we still get the chance to hear new music from such an influential and legendary artist.  His new one is called The Circus and the Nightwhale, and it releases on February 16^th through Inside Out Music.  This is definitely one of the zanier albums in his discography.

Does Steve really need an introduction?  He’s the legendary guitarist of that band I don’t like to mention much, and he’s been a prolific solo artist for way longer than I’ve been alive.  Seriously, this is his thirtieth solo album!  For this record, Steve handles electric and acoustic guitars, 12-string, mandolin, harmonica, percussion, bass, and vocals.  My God, he is talented.  He also brings with him Roger King on keyboards, programming, and orchestral arrangements, Rob Townsend on sax, Jonas Reingold on bass, Nad Sylvan on vocals, Craig Blundell on drums, and Amanda Lehmann on vocals. Nick D’Virgilio and Hugo Degenhardt both guest on drums, too; Benedict Fenner appears on keys; Malik Mansurov offers his tar; and John Hackett brings his flute.  What a lineup!

Steve has long made albums that are towering and theatrical—music made for the live stage.  Even though he is a guitarist, his albums are not egotistical statements of guitar skill.  No, his works are diverse, multiethnic, thematic, meaningful records that feature different styles, tones, and moods.  Yes, they also include his incredible signature guitar fireworks, too, and I’ll never complain about that.

For The Circus and the Nightwhale, Steve’s writing is a little strange and malevolent, in the best of ways.  The story, which I don’t fully know yet, is dark and very interesting, and often reminds me of Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes.  The music is appropriately varied, then, with softer ballads, searing instrumentals, quirky one-offs, and gracious rock songs with great harmonies.  You’ll hear bluesy portions, circus themes, and lots more.  The album as a whole feels like a menagerie of fascinating compositions sewn skillfully together into a unified piece.

I’m loving this record.  It’s one of those albums that flows by and ends before you know it, even though it has 13 tracks.  There are longer pieces, and there are shorter tracks, but they are all so damn fascinating.  So, you have songs like the opener “People of the Smoke”, which besides a scary baby cry that turns into a train whistle, is classic Steve Hackett with harmonious group singing and terrific guitars.  Then you have tracks like the next one, “These Passing Clouds”, a short instrumental interlude that is still equally amazing.  Then we get songs like “Taking You Down”, a jazzy piece with some epic guitar work that features echoing vocals from Nad Sylvan, and I absolutely love it.

The variety doesn’t end there.  Steve really brings it on guitar on this album, but he also sings his heart out, too.  “Found and Lost” is a short ballad that is absolutely beautiful with Steve sound melodic and personable.  Then there are the zany tracks, like “Enter the Ring”, which sports circus themes and orchestral darkness.  It’s so good.

I have some favorites.  I really like “Get Me Out”, a sassy song with a sauntering gait and driving guitars.  I love “Ghost Moon and Living Love”, the longest song on the album, which has some wonderful vocals from Steve and a nice, easy, peaceful tone.  That is followed directly by my favorite on the album, “Circus Inferno”, which is a fiery, fierce track that feels bold and adventurous.  It’s a pity that it only lasts a couple minutes. 

The second half of the album tends to blow by quickly because there are multiple 1-2 minute tracks that are terrific instrumentals, but they mostly lead into another favorite, “Into the Nightwhale”.  It is a beautiful piece that feels like hovering above the ocean at night, the stars burning above, and the waves splashing below.  I love Steve’s vocals on that one, too.  The last couple tracks on the album are the vicious “Wherever You Are”, which sounds like it should be a love song or something, but it’s the monster, inventive guitar work that ends up being the main attraction.  “White Dove” is a delicate and vulnerable closer that feels like an appropriate ending to this journey.

I don’t know how Steve still has more ideas, but this is one album that does not lack personality and diversity.  The Circus and the Nightwhale feels like something a brand-new artist would make, someone trying to leave their mark.  On the other hand, it feels like the work of a veteran, too, because of how calculated and controlled the chaos actually is, and because of the legendary guitar work.  Hackett fans will be pleased, and I hope new fans are made, too.

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