The Blue Nile - High

Bringing back mental images of the group BOSTON, not because of the sound, but because of the time span between albums. Boston was eight years between "Don't Look Back" and "Third Stage", and I among others said that would never happen again. I mean come on, some fans are just going to lose interest, right?? Well, if that is the case someone should tell fans of The Blue Nile they should have lost interest. The Blue Nile release HIGH, eight years after their critically acclaimed "Peace At Last". Some people may think this is a pretentious thing on the part of the band, but that couldn't be further from the truth, the fact is The Blue Nile are simply very choosy about the music they will finally release.

HIGH is really a culmination of the sounds the band put forth on their previous albums, with more intense lyrics and near haunting music. The Blue Nile seem to have got a lot out of their hiatus as the lyrics are beautiful while at the same time dark. The end result is after hearing HIGH, you are left with a certain feeling of satisfaction. Some have said the music can get monotonous, but obviously they aren't hearing the intense structure of the music, at times, almost behind the music.

If you are thinking you have never heard of The Blue Nile, you're not alone as it seems to be a love or ignorance relationship. Simply put, those who truly get the complex structures (albums / songs) The Blue Nile have offered up since 1981, they know the music and have been yearning for the new record, others may never have heard the music at all, you either know and love The Blue Nile or you have been in the dark and never knew they existed. This is a great album  however to make a start with the music, and if you like it you will also have Peace At Last, Hats and Walk Across The Rooftops in your collection soon after hearing this.

Songs from The Blue Nile have been covered by artists across the board of musical tastes, literally, as they have been recorded by artists like Rod Stewart, Annie Lennox, Joe Cocker, Tom Jones and a host of others. HIGH is just as good as any of the earlier records, it has true substance and soul, music you can really wrap your ears around. The Blue Nile have another pure record, the thing is, the tracks can mean something different to you than to others, songs some would call dark, others would call compelling. Paul Buchanan, Robert Bell and Paul Joseph Moore have created a work that would be better described as a literary masterpiece with musical accompaniment. There aren't any tracks that are lacking, and none really shine above the others, The Blue Nile have generated an entire album that will for sure be on the top of fans lists for a long time, and I believe new fans are going to be drawn in by the sheer craftsmanship of  HIGH.

  ( 5.5 Stars out of 6 )

Play MP3 sample of I Would Never - The Blue Nile

Play MP3 sample of Broken Loves - The Blue Nile