Paul Sutin/Steve Howe: Voyagers (1995) Review | It’s Not About the Journey, It’s Howe You Get There
Kronomyth 4.0: Aspirant sunbeams.
Given the harried nature of my life these days, you would think I’d have a deeper appreciation for the quiet calm of new age music. Instead, I continue to find the synthetic flutes and sonorous piano notes somewhat unsettling, as if they’re obviously out of place. Or maybe complex and cacophonous music simply resonates more with my current state of mind. Thus, you may wish to take my opinion of Voyagers with a few spoonfuls of bath salts. Co-credited to Steve Howe and Paul Sutin this time, the music does mark more of an active collaboration between the pair than Sutin’s last album, Seraphim. Oddly, I haven’t been able to track down who wrote what, although Sutin makes the lion’s share of the music (synthesizers, piano, drum programming), with Howe’s guitar liberally sprinkled throughout. If Steve Howe is what brought here, Voyagers is the place to start in Paul Sutin’s discography. Not only are the melodies here some of Sutin’s strongest (Sanctuary, Voyager), but you’ll also find more connective tissue to progrock proper in passages that briefly evoke Yes (Sonar Call), Pat Metheny (Dreams) and modern Tangerine Dream (Quantum Leap). That’s not to suggest that Sutin is a prog artist; his feet are firmly planted in the new age camp. The presence of Howe, however, naturally gravitates toward prog. Alternating between acoustic and electric guitar (as well as keyboards, apparently), Howe gives the music wings. Here again, the lack of liner notes makes it difficult to determine exactly what’s Howe’s contributions are; it’s very possible he doesn’t appear at all on some of these songs. When he does appear, it’s like a flash of sun emerging through soft, white clouds. Voyagers is a warm collection of musical vistas, Howe elevates a good half of these songs with his contributions, and there are certainly albums within the extended Yes canon (Rick Wakeman and Patrick Moraz, I’m looking at you) that offer less enjoyment.
The Product
A1. Telepathy (4:11)
A2. Dreams of Freedom (4:33)
A3. Quantum Leap (4:10)
A4. Sweet Eternity (4:42)
A5. Sanctuary (4:18)
A6. Ocean Light (2:00)
A7. Voyager (4:38)
A8. Fantasia for Fins (4:48)
A9. Pied Piper (4:14)
A10. Sonar Call (7:08)
The Players
Steve Howe (acoustic, electric & steel guitars, keyboards), Paul Sutin (acoustic piano, keyboards, bass, percussion, programming) with Carlo Bettini (solo synth on A5), Benoit Corboz (string arrangement on A10). Produced by Paul Sutin & Steve Howe; engineered by Renny Hill and Jacky Sanders.
The Plastic
Released on compact disc on March 21, 1995 in the US (CMC, 7503).
- Re-issued on compact disc in 2000 in Germany (Armoury, ARMCD022) with different cover.
