Twenty-four minutes of beautiful progressive rock...that's what prog legends Pendragon deliver on their latest EP, North Star. Founding member Nick Barrett (guitar, vocals, keyboards), along with mainstays Clive Nolan (keyboards), Peter Gee (bass), and Jan-Vincent Velazco (drums), make the most of the short running time here, including the soaring title track, which is a three-part, nearly 18-minute epic featuring some absolutely lovely guitar work from the leader to go along with his always dreamy vocals and plenty of sumptuous keyboards. Suppose you've never experienced Barrett's acoustic guitar talents. In that case, it's really on display throughout this EP, especially on the lovely final track, "Fall Away," where he delivers stunning classically inspired melodies that will please any fan of similar recordings done by the great Steve Hackett. Toss in Nick's velvety smooth electric guitar solos; you have a recipe for success here. I'd also like to note Velazco's very capable drum work throughout; he's a tasty player and adds plenty of depth to these songs.
Guests on the EP include Johanna Stroud on backing vocals & violin, plus John Barnfield on extra keyboards. It's a lovely little set of music that rivals 1994's Fallen Dreams and Angels as one of the must-have EPs in the bands' catalog.
Track Listing
North Star
1) Part I: A Boy and His Dog
2) Part II: As Dead as a Dodo
3) Part III: Phoenician Skies
4) Fall Away
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