Rick Wakeman & The English Rock Ensemble A Gallery Of The Imagination (MADFISH)

As comfortable in a cape as a concept, master keyboardist Rick Wakeman gives us all A Gallery Of The Imagination, to walk down with his new album. Beginning with piano, the only way this ivory-tickler is able to play it, on first song “Hidden Depths,” Wakeman quickly turns into a full band (that band being Rick’s The English Rock Ensemble) taking the instrumental into a mid-tempo rock groove (we will get solo piano later on here with songs like “The Creek” and “Just A Memory). Hayley Sanderson provides the lighter touches with her near Kate Bush-sounding vocals on the non-instrumentals. Although Sanders sings well, the tunes are all catchy and Mr. Wakeman consistently picks trills and twiddles around many different keyboard sounds, these more traditional songs are the weakest part of this gallery. “The Visitation,” the best of these tunes, finds the band in solid groove though. And Wakeman positively wails on the lead parts. I am a huge Wakeman fan, so getting another album from the “caped crusader” three years on since his last, all instrumental, pro-tasty The Red Planet) certainly makes me happy. And while A Gallery Of The Imagination doesn’t work completely for me, it’s still pretty great.