Also a member of prog-folk band THE MORRIGAN, Colin Masson is an English multi-instrumentalist who focusses on guitar, both acoustic and electric but especially the latter. On his solo album – for which he did the artwork– he plays bass, recorder, percussion, keyboards and trombone. His material is made up of lush sounds that float somewhere between symphonic prog and new age, with interesting Medieval/Gryphon-like elements (especially the recorder parts) that contrast with the screaming electric guitars.

Recorded in 1998-99 at Greeacres Farm in Wiltshire, his album “Isle of Eight” is divided into three long tracks, each made up of a medley of unrelated short tunes, somewhat in the vein of MIKE OLDFIELD’s “Tubular Bells”. Some may find the musicianship a tad simplistic, technically speaking, but it is always tasteful; the compositions are solid and the themes catchy, emotive and melodic. Finally, the sound quality is remarkable, especially for a self-produced album. A very enjoyable cd overall.

If you like MASSON’s former band THE MORRIGAN, you will certainly enjoy this solo effort as it sounds almost like a pure MORRIGAN album.

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