Review Summary: New Age style Rick in full flow. Velvet glades, summer walks in the country and picnics by the stream.
Rick Wakeman's sprawling solo career encompasses many twists and turns ranging from prog rock excess to stand-up comedy. During the 1980's he released a number of albums containing selections of self-penned piano pieces inspired by pastoral and seasonal themes. 'Country Airs' was the first of these endeavours and was indeed his first solo piano album.
Wakeman's busy virtuoso technique could potentially be an obstacle when applied to a set of material which is supposed to evoke idyllic moods relating to rural themes. There is certainly no shortage of Rick's characteristic flurries and busy arpeggios to embellish the pieces contained herein but there is enough restraint such that the often quite beautiful melodies shine through. Album opener 'Lakeland Walks' is a graceful and intricate ode to the countryside brimming over with mellifluous alternating arpeggios set against a bold main theme. Rick can't resist embellishing the central melody with a multitude of little trills and twinkles but these merely serve as icing on the cake. Other highlights include the aptly cascading 'Waterfalls', the shimmering 'The Glade' and the majestic 'Wild Moors'. Due to the constancy of style and pace throughout the album it is unlikely to hold the attention of an avid listener for long but there really are some wonderfully engaging pieces of music to be found on here.
Set against Wakeman's notable achievements within the realms of progressive rock, both as a member of Yes and as a solo artist, this album shows up merely as a side entry in his career. Most people's mental picture of the man is that of an extroverted showman wearing ridiculous capes stood in front of multiple banks of keyboards. However, this album, along with several other solo piano works from the same period, show that there is a gentler side to his musical repertoire which is light-years removed from that enduring image of an ostentatious prog-wizard.
