ICON

Never been a John Wetton fan. As a matter of fact I really only liked him on the first 3 Asia cds. I was happy when he left the group and was replaced by John Payne. I have tried various solo cds by Wetton and other projects he has been involved in, but really didn't care for them! But I must say this is the first cd, other than the Asia cds, that I have loved. This cd is great!!! Yes that is right, John Wetton is great on this cd. Geoffrey Downes Asia's keyboardist dominates this cd. Which was standard on any Asia cd, Downes is just that good. Downes and Wetton were Asia's main song writing force, and it shows here. There are some outstanding songs on this cd.

The cd starts off with the unique overture. The song is over 6 minutes long, a welcome relief from a lot of the quick songs on the radio nowadays that go nowhere. Let Me Know is a good uptempo song that pretty much is the tempo for the whole cd.

God Walks With US is my favorite song on the cd. Wetton's vocals are outstanding. I Stand Alone is my second favorite. A good back to back punch on the cd. A couple of other really good songs that stand out are, Please Change Your Mind and Spread Your Wings.

Don't have anything on this cd I don't care for or press skip when it comes up. After hearing this cd, when I heard Wetton was coming back, I was ready to give him another chance. The cd has a laid back feel, like Asia grown up.

Grade A