Wild Orchids
Until his back catalog was recently reissued, it was easy to forget what an important musician Steve Hackett was in the late 1970s and very early '80s.  That was when the former Genesis guitarist was releasing LPs likeVoyage of the AcolyteandSpectral Mornings. Though he's continued to record albums at a steady clip, ranging from forgettable pop to flirtations with classical music, he still faded away in the '80s.Wild Orchidsfinds him in the terrain of many post-prog rockers, moving all over the stylistic map. He jumps from classical on the orchestral "She Moves in Memories" to American folk on Bob Dylan's "Man in the Long Black Coat." He sings the latter in a deep baritone reminiscent of Leonard Cohen and tears off some blistering distorted blues guitar leads in the process. "A Dark Night in Toytown" almost sounds like an art song (as in classical, not art-rock) touched by a bit of Broadway. There are many echoes of the '60s, including references to Pink Floyd and especially the Beatles. "Waters of the Wild" calls up the spirit of "Tomorrow Never Knows" with a trancy rhythm and Eastern overtones as Hackett mutates his guitar from a sitar to electric sarangi. An instrumental called "Howl" ends the album, and its demonic groove and afterburner guitar recalls one of his earliest songs, "A Tower Struck Down." It reminds us that Steve Hackett hasn't quite found a voice that resonates the way it did 30 years ago--butWild Orchidsmakes me think it should.--John Diliberto