MIRROR TO THE SKY

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Closing track 'Circles of Time' is one I found particularly corny, could have been left out as a bonus track, depending on who you ask. Later in May 2022, Yes announced that White would sit out of the upcoming 2022 world tour to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Close to the Edge (1972), due to illness.

But let’s be honest, the Downes-Howe collaboration “Living Out Their Dream” is the worst of the six tracks. The band had boldly proclaimed themselves masters of the album craft, and I could by no means oppose such a statement, as 'Mirror to the Sky' is a well-written, finely composed and recorded album, working pretty well as one, too. The info here is so precise, it tells you exactly what time codes Jon Davison is playing acoustic guitar, or exactly when the orchestra comes in. I gave Mirror to the Sky the special treatment, following along with the accompanying booklet, reading every line of lyrics as it was sung.With this, the 23rd studio album from prog legends Yes, and following on the heels of their somewhat underwhelming 2021 album, The Quest (which didn't sound much like Yes at all), there was some cause for concern. Steve Howe finally gets to play a really good, memorable solo that is flashy, smart, and not just a rip-off of one of his earlier compositions. Geoff Downes plays well and adds some nice, rich creativity that's seemed largely missing since 2011's Fly From Here. It’s just a way of expressing how much time and thought we devote to meditating on the beautiful musical experiences Yes gives to us. It's not completely the Yes of the past, but there are still some spiritual connections with some eras of the band.

It takes you on a journey in every bit the same way Close to the Edge, Awaken, Mind Drive, and other revered Yes epics do.Howe said the track is the most different of all the album's tracks in terms of guitar styles, using an analogue pedal board that had an automatic double wah-wah effect. The orchestra plays a great role, one that feels like that's exactly where it belongs and doing exactly what it ought to be doing, and they get their chance to carry the ideas, too. Living Out Their Dream" features an introduction that Howe considered reminiscent of The Rolling Stones, and said the song has a slight tongue-in-cheek lyric. A better equality of balance between guitar and keyboards throughout the album would have been good.

Once the acoustic guitar and piano enter though, that comparison falls apart, and it soon turns into a great, driving piece. The melody shifts around the four-minute mark to something with a little bit of grit to it, and it’s a big improvement over the saccharine first part. A good song, Steve Howe is just as good as ever, however, I must mention one downfall of the album, and it is a MAJOR pitfall. Disc two, however, has no orchestra, and the songs are all written by Steve Howe, unlike the first disc, where everything has collaborations with at least two band members, except for the solo-scribed Jon Davison masterpiece, “Circles of Time.The album was released to positive reviews on CD, LP, Blu-ray, and digital platforms, with some editions containing additional artwork by long-time Yes cover artist Roger Dean. One other fun discovery: There are several little moments across the album that hearken to other moments in songs across the Yes oeuvre.