Bainbridge, Dave: To The Far Away

For many, Dave Bainbridge is something of an undiscovered gem, the guitarist, keyboard and many other instrument player a driving force behind bands such as Iona, Lifesigns, Celestial Fire and Strawbs. To The Far Away is the talented chap’s fourth solo album and one which resides in a quite magnificent land between progressive folk (which, unlike so many now mining this sound is handled here in a way that still sounds vibrant) and symphonic prog. As all the best musicians do, Bainbridge has surrounded himself with a stellar cast who help him take some excellent compositions and turn them into what is a truly spellbinding journey. From Troy Donockley of Nightwish on high and low whistles, uilleann pipes and Cumbrian voices to Iona drummer Frank van Essen via Jon Poole (I’m guessing this is the same Jon Poole from The Dowling Poole and long time Ginger Wildheart collaborator?) on bass and a collection of cello, violin and whistle players, the performances are simply outstanding on an album that has such a natural, organic flow as it gently digs deep in under your skin. That all said, for me, the real stars - other than Bainbridge of course - are the two vocalists, Sally Minnear (daughter of a certain Kerry Minnear from Gentle Giant, no less) and Iain Hornal (from the 10CC touring band), who between them breathe a wonderful sense of light and space into To The Far Away. In terms of guitar tone I’m often reminded of the underrated work of Mike Oldfield, and it’s how all of these seemingly disparate elements have been brought together that makes this such an engaging experience.

Cleverly, while the folk tinges and instrumentation is key to much of the success of this album, long stretches reside in a more airy, dreamy space that allows an ambient feel to build. Whereas other passages are much more traditional prog in style, with touches of everything from Pink Floyd and Genesis to modern era Marillion, and of course Iona, brought into play in a way that makes for a rewarding, varied, and yet decidedly cohesive journey.

One of the best examples of that expert amalgam arrives in the shape of “Ghost Light�, a track that, to be fair, doesn’t quite have the same overtly folk nature as can be found elsewhere, but the evolution of mood and atmosphere that can be found - from bold progressive interplay to calming piano and vocal washes - is rich indeed. Elsewhere, the album’s energetic title track is a flowing guitar workout that builds into a folk-fest that’s never self indulgent and which really hits hard through the conviction of the performances. Add in a full flavoured keyboard undercurrent and even though this piece comes in at under five minutes and is devoid of vocals, it really does capture much of the spirit of what’s been created here. “Speed Your Journey�, which is propelled by a busy but nuanced percussive pulse, also demonstrates the melodic push and shove that resides in all of the tracks on show. Clever little keyboard motifs playing keenly off a magnificent vocal from Minnear - who on this showing is a star in the making - while the folk elements bob in and out of view to keep the musical palette bright and colourful without ever becoming garish. I could go on, because each and every track here contains musical excitement, arranging expertise and vocal virtuosity - Hornal too is outstanding when called upon - that simply refuses to let your attention go, and there’s also an expended 2CD version with other delights to explore.

To The Far Away is a fantastic album from start to finish, marking it out as another quite remarkable achievement in the Dave Bainbridge canon.

Track Listing
1. Sea Gazer 

2. Girl and the Magical Sky 

3. Rain and Sun 

4. Clear Skies 

5. Ghost Light 

6. Cathedral Thinkers 

7. To Gain the Ocean 

8. As Night Falls 

9. Infinitude (Region of the Stars) 

10. To the Far Away 

11. Speed Your Journey 

12. Fells Point 

13. Something Astonishing

Added: March 9th 2022
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Dave Bainbridge Music
Hits: 1013
Language: english

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