Reviewed by Paul Poulton

The Darkness have made a success of making '70s rock accessible in the third millennium AD, but it's not an easy thing to do and many wonder if their success can be sustained beyond one album. Sapient Dove, a three-piece from Maryland, also have a retro feel to their music. There are moments of magic to this, their debut album; the song "Look To The Sky" has a great descending hook line, "Parable Of The Souls" has an exciting well executed lead break and "Holy, Holy, Holy" is catchy. The guys in the band have a few years of musical experience behind them. I know they are aiming for a modern feel and in their favour the lead vocals have a definite Rufus Wainwright texture, but (and didn't you just know there was going to be a "but"?) the magical moments don't appear too often. There is a looseness which some listeners may find endearing but I'm not one of them. The production is not as clean as we like nowadays. The vocals of the songs have harmonies not unlike Crosby, Stills And Nash which lose their appeal because of the frequency of their use and what's more, they blur the important spiritual message.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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