Singer Michelle Young's second album is a symphonic work, a mixture of atmospheric prog and melodic rock. The vocalist is supported by Arena and Pendragon keyboard player Clive Nolan, Happy the Man guitarist Stan Whitaker, Jethro Tull drummer Doane Perry, and bassist Peter Gee, plus guest spots from Threshold's Karl Groom and former Yes guitarist Pete Banks. This is an enjoyable release which should appeal to a wide audience of music lovers.
Young has a very pleasant and strong voice, somewhat in the style of Kate Bush, with a little Lana Lane and Annie Haslam thrown in for good measure. She displays a bouncy, whispy quility on the bubbly "Dancing on the Head Pin", while showing her fire on the dramatic "A Lively Toast." Nolan gets to show off his monstrous soundscapes on the symphonic keyboard driven instrumental "Hope: Realization", and Toto singer Bobby Kimball has a brief surprise cameo on the song "First Light." Another quirky number is the song "Demons", which has an almost Broadway- like feel to it, thanks to Young's theatrical vocals and Nolan's bouncy synthesizers. "Hope: The Darkest Hour" is part two of the instrumental saga, and here takes on a much darker, ominous feel, with mysterious keyboards and yearning guitars. The husky swagger of Young's vocals comes to the forefront on "Melissa's Demise", a hard rocker with chunky guitar work, which is greatly contrasted with the more acoustic and majestic end to the trilogy, called "Hope: Encouragement." The CD features two classics's in the back end, one being the rock-opera throwback "Mystery Man Summoned", and the mini-epic "Walk in the Light", a melodic masterpiece about the will to survive and determination, featuring Young's most gorgeous vocals on the CD, as well as crafty piano playing from Nolan.
An album brimming with intelligent, fun lyrics, soaring vocals, and symphonic arrangements, Marked for Madness is a true winner for Michelle Young. Her early work, and her contributions to the band Glass Hammer, were obviously only a small indication of the talent that had yet to make it to the surface.
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