Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

There is no comparison readily available to the voice that made The Moody Blues one of the finest bands to ever come out of Britain. In Justin Hayward the talent he possesses is phenomenal, a real delight in a world that can seem cynical of a person still recording good quality music after nearly fifty years. That musical talent is yet again laid bare for listeners to revel in and take an hour or two out their ever-increasing busy and demanding lives in his first solo album since 1996, the exquisite and beautiful Spirits of the Western Sky.

Justin Hayward may not have been needed for the unneeded or realistically required remake of Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds but as part of The Moody Blues he is irreplaceable as thousands upon thousands have found out over the years as they have toured and it is staggering that he found the time to make a solo recoding whilst the band are gearing up for another eagerly awaited tour of the home country. Yet somehow the man from Swindon has done so and it is a magical ride, an experience in which the listener might well find themselves hopelessly lost in notes, tunes and gentle lyrics that only Justin Hayward is able to deliver.

There is of course something remarkably cool about Mr Hayward, the fact that he still sounds genuinely in love with music after so long is inspiring and should be seen as such by newer musicians coming through the long and sometime arduous road themselves. Music doesn’t need to be excess; it doesn’t have to be about distractions or playing a game, it should just be about the music that makes people feel alive, fall in love or convey that message of hope, in Spirits of the Western Sky all three of those integrities of music are explored and covered.

Songs such as One Day, Someday, the terrific The Western Sky, the graceful In the Beginning and the country feel of It’s Cold Outside of Your Heart all show that this gentle man of rock/progressive rock still retains that inner musical beauty that made him a household name all those years ago.

Well worth investing in and relaxing to for nights on end.

Ian D. Hall