The original albums of the German composer/keyboardist Ines Fuchs date back to the nineties (Hunting The Fox 1994, Eastern Dawning 1996). Together with her husband Hansi Fuchs, still active in the band Fuchs, she released these pure neo-prog albums under her first name at that time; Ines. To celebrate the thirtieth anniversary, it was decided to honour them as remasters in the form of a double CD with a completely new mix/mastering and that pays off because it really sounds much better than on the originals. That makes sense because Hansi is a recognized producer of countless releases and you can really hear that experience. For those who know and appreciate Ines' music, this release is almost a must, especially if you also have some knowledge of sound quality. For everyone else, the music is a clear mixture of Genesis and the 80s and especially, neo-prog bands like Marillion, IQ or Pendragon. Also of that quality? Sometimes, because despite the fact that a lot of attention has been paid to the vocals, that is not Ines' strong point. You do hear a lot of harmony vocals and a fairly illustrious singer has also been added, namely Harald Bareth of the old Anyone's Daughter and that is unique because he doesn't do that often. A short impression of both albums separately is not really necessary because it is a fact that both albums are very similar. Come to think of it, that actually applies to most tracks as well, so that means the quality is very consistent. The question is, of course, how high is that quality? As described above, I don't think the vocals are great but certainly not disturbing either. And that also applies to the instrumentalists, it's all fine without any real outliers. Ines' keys swirl nicely and clearly show what she is influenced by, namely the already mentioned British greats. The guitar work is provided by several guitarists and is good but there is no Steve Rothery or Nick Barrett among them and that is a pity. It's technically good, but I miss that feeling and emotion that both Brits add. There are many shorter songs on both albums that are occasionally interspersed with a longer track, so there is a difference with the examples mentioned. I enjoy listening to all the music but miss the spark and I think that's due to the lack of spice and especially melodies that stick. The somewhat drawling vocals don't really help, it slips by a bit. That does not alter the fact that there is quite a bit to enjoy and the total atmosphere is responsible for that. The fact that there are several singers to be heard is nice for the variation in this case and the frequent backing vocals are well taken care of. On Eastern Dawning you occasionally hear, like in the track Winter, some other instruments such as Clarinet and oboe. For those who already own both albums, the improved quality can certainly be a reason to purchase this double album because the difference is considerable. If you don't know the music yet, I would definitely give it a listen, because Ines and her band absolutely deserve that. As far as the assessment is concerned, I would like to explain something. Imagine that you are back in school and the teacher hands out the tests with a grade on them. You always have the standard nerds with their nines and tens, but of course also the dreaded fails. Ines doesn't have to worry because she certainly doesn't belong to the latter category. The largest group is always that of the people who end up in the middle and that can be done with a six but also with an eight and you always succeed with that and Ines does do that, just not cum laude. *** Erik Fraanje (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
