Saga – 20/20 CD Review

• 2) Anywhere You Wanna Go – This song is the lead-off single and the first one sent to Canadian radio stations for airplay. If there is some justice in the world any radio station that claims they play a rock format will surely have this song on heavy rotation. The first half of the song has Sadler repeating the chorus with such conviction that it is hard not to sing along with it. This song is almost a tale of two halves with the first half being fairly standard but a sudden pause in the middle of the song reminds us that Saga is progressive rock even in their most mainstream sounding songs. The second half of the song drops hints of masterful Crichton guitar solos and buildups that accentuate why these guys are all wizards of their instruments. Very powerful song that stays with you after only a couple of listens.

• 3) Ellery – The 1-2 punch of Six Feet Under and Anywhere You Wanna Go which are similar in their energy is countered with a much more slower and subtle 3^rd song Ellery. If this album was presented in concert in the same order as on the record, the first two songs would have the audience on their feet with arms raised, while the third song would almost hypnotically get people sitting down to listen to the music and lyrics intently. “No matter where you are, listen with your heart” is a perfect line to describe the emotion of listening to this beautiful song.

• 4) Spin It Again – One more great display of Saga’s strength. Pulsing synth heavy melodies with uplifting vocals and a guitar solo in the middle of the song. A bit of a heavier feel without any excessive baggage. A musical ride that although doesn’t particularly stand out for me still delivers the goods.

• 5) Another Day Out Of Sight – This one starts off slowly sort of like a mid 80’s Brit pop song and carries on with light and poppy synthesizers that provide Jim Gilmour who sings this one, a different canvas to roll out his words than the previous songs on the record.   Not to be fooled though, Crichton kicks in with another short hard rock solo to alter the feel of the song. Great vocal performance from Gilmour and this song proves that Saga has more than one very capable vocalist.

• 6) One Of These Days – A hard hitter that will please Saga fans for its tempo changes, massive synth solos, Sadler layered vocals, musical build ups, erupting guitars and pulsing bass. All the cogs are in place for this one and the machine is running as smoothly as ever. If there was a candidate for a 10 minute song on this album this one is it. In fact the only complain about this song is that it’s too short and leaves us wanting more.

• 7) Ball And Chain – Meticulously sculpted song that slows down and picks up at the precisely moments. On the slower side of the album which is absolutely acceptable for a Saga record. Beautiful piano keys by Gilmour provide a masterful touch to the essence of this song.

•  8) Lost For Words – Sadler surely is not lost for words on this song, as the vocals shine once again at the beginning of this song. Pure passion and depth are evident in this masterful ballad. It’s almost as if the spotlight is squarely aimed at Sadler and everything else is in unison to form a backing instrument to his voice. That statement is true until the halfway mark in which the screeching guitars remind us that the Saga of 2012 is not very interested in keeping Crichton’s guitars hidden for too long.

Saga

 

• 9) Show and Tell – The album began with a very strong 1-2 punch and ends in a similar manner. The pre finale song of Show and Tell we are in for a great aural ride. Crichton shows off his guitar skills one more time, this time a little longer than most riffs on the rest of the album. World class keyboardist Gilmour lets loose on this one while this song just builds and builds to an inevitable musical climax and an epic abrupt ending. We love this song and would place it as one of our top 3 favorites of 20/20.

• 10) Till The Well Runs Dry – Did Saga save the best for last? That is up to the listener to decide but there is no doubt that Till The Well Runs Dry is one of the strongest tunes on the record. It also happens to be the longest at 6:22. There is certainly something sexy to have a progressive rock band as talented as Saga play marathon songs (particularly live) and this song is the one song on this album that more than any other will put Saga on display during their upcoming tour. If someone that was not familiar with the band at all asked me which one song to listen to on this album to understand what Saga is all about this is the song I would recommend they listen to. Unlike other songs that take 30 or so seconds to get going this slow burn takes a full 2 minutes of musical teasing before its first peak before taking the listener on an emotional roller coaster ride that strongly bonds the band and the listener.

There you have it; this album is one of Saga’s best and will without a doubt satisfy the hunger of the bands’ very passionate fans. That much is a given. We hope that music fans that have never heard of Saga (or at least haven’t heard much of them since On The Loose and Wind Him Up) give this one a spin. This CD shows that Saga clearly understands how to give their existing fans exactly what they want while trying to attract new listeners at the same time. Any one of the standout tracks Anywhere You Wanna Go, Six Feet Under, Show and Tell or Till The Well Runs Dry will give not only a very good representation of the technical mastery of the individual members of Saga but of the tightness of the band overall.  I asked keyboardist Jim Gilmour “How satisfied are you personally with the new album?” and he said “I’m very happy with this album. It sounds like Saga but in a modern sort of way. I think there’s something on there for everyone!” Jim we totally agree with you on that one.