After the somewhat dissapointing Fellini Days, Fish returns with the powerful Field of Crows, an engaging collection of crafty songs that sees the singer return to the more basic and hook-laden songs of his early-mid 90's material. This seems to be what Fish does best, create songs that tell a story and deliver the goods with tight instrumentation, and there are plenty of winners in this fashion all over Field of Crows.
You want catchy, you got it with "Moving Targets", a great sing-along piece that lets us know that we are all basically victims, or moving targets. Fish's voice seems in better shape throughout than on the last few albums, as he gets in some moments of angst on the fiery rocker "The Rookie", and some smooth Scottish drawl on "The Field." A full horn section is featured on the bluesy "Old Crow", and the band gets funky on the pulsing rocker "Numbers", a song that shows off the talents of guitarists Bruce Watson and Frank Usher. One of the real standout cuts is the jazzy "Exit Wound", a somber tune about the scars left from a broken heart, punctuated perfectly by Fish's passionate vocals and the haunting sax of Steve Hamilton. The futuristic keyboards of Tony Turrell add a nice symphonic twist to the otherwise hard rock crunch of "Innocent Party", while his majestic piano adds an elegant flair to the emotional "Scattering Crows", a tune also punctuated by a gut wrenching vocal performance from Fish.
The booklet is nicely done by Mark Wilkinson, and inspired by a painting originally done by Vincent Van Gogh. Those into albums like Vigil In a Wilderness of Mirrors, Internal Exile, and Sunsets on Empire should really dig this latest platter from Fish. While his voice may lack the overall power and range that it did 15 years ago, the entertaining Scot still knows how to weave a good song, and Field of Crows is filled with plenty of them.
Track List
1) The Field
2) The Rookie
3) Moving Targets
4) Zoo Class
5) The Lost Plot
6) Old Crow
7) Exit Wounds
8) Numbers
9) Old Crow
10) Innocent Party
11) Shot the Craw
12) Scattering Crow
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