The twelfth album from this English band.
The band is a six piece band on this album with a lineup of bass, keyboards, drums, guitars and vocals.
I distinctly remember Jump as a neo-prog band. One of those bands who followed in the wake of Pendragon and Marillion without really making any headway with their albums. The first of them was released back in 1991. I reviewed their 2001 On Impulse album some weeks ago and did not like that album that much. Plodding second rate neo-prog is the best I can say about that album.
So I was not overjoyed when this album appeared for review. That changed after the first listening session when I discovered that the band had changed direction and that in a much better direction.
Forget neo-prog. The Black Pilgrim is not a neo-prog album. Mainly not a neo-prog album, that is. I have no idea what has prompted this change of direction, but what I get here is a warm, lush folk-prog album.
A forty minutes long warm and lush folk-prog album, that is. Jethro Tull springs to mind in addition to the many other great folk-rock bands from the 1970s. So does Manning too. What is lacking is violins and flutes. That though is not something this album is missing as they have been replaced by great vocals from John Dexter Jones, lush acoustic guitars and a great pub-rock feel. And yes, some neo-prog too.
And yes, I would gladly pay to see this band doing this album live in a pub near me. This album is a perfect beer & steak in the local pub piece of music. And it is a very good album too. A killer track is missing and that is my only gripe with this album. Besides of that.......
3.5 points
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