There is no telling how long fans of
Asia have been waiting for this reunion, the two names themselves tend to spark excitement, because these two guys had helped provide the arena rock heavyweights with a lot of heart and soul that dominated radio in the early eighties.
Now over twenty years later,
Asia themselves have become a totally different band, with only Geoff Downes at the helm as the original member (having released their best album in years last year with
Silent Nation) and John Wetton has enjoyed the success of an international solo career, with both projects keeping a considerable distance from the arena rock past.
The next thing you might ask is why didn't they call this
Asia, well, like the title invokes, it is really a collaboration between the two, providing Downes' knack for lush keyboard arrangements and Wetton's vocal legacy. On board for this recording is John Mitchell from Arena on guitar (who has often performed with Wetton), Steve Christey from Jadis, and guests Annie Haslam from 70's ethereal prog act Renaissance lending her vocals and Ian McDonald from
King Crimson on woodwinds.
The music is fairly mellow throughout most of Icon, where Downes puts his soundscape ability to work, most notably within "
God Walks With Us," "
Meet Me At Midnight," and "
Sleep Angel" offering emotion and balladry. But when it comes to tracks that have the reincarnation for the anthem legacy, cuts such as "
Let Me Go," the inspirational "
I Stand Alone," and "
Please Change Your Mind" are the close returns to the arena rock stance that this duo set the tone for in the 80's.
Having been working apart for so many years, both Wetton and Downes in a way re-create the musical personality with Wetton's trademark vocal harmonies and both of them forming the foundation of the compositions involved. It is an updated sound, rather than being "dated," there have been a lot of different musical developments that have place with either of them individually over the years, and it comes full circle on
Icon, kind of being a respect for the past, not wanting to recreate something that ended years ago that might not bestow decent results, therefore they have created a new project with a very strong sense of ability and it shows on this record.
Written by
Hashman Sunday, July 10, 2005
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