Customer Reviews

Sparks of Ancient Light

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This superlative new effort stands as one of Al Stewart's best albums. It continues in the vein of its predecessor A Beach Full of Shells but has a richer, crisper sound, warm and natural and with playing both organic and solid. Having now produced the last four albums, Laurence Juber has developed a keen sense of how to present Al's songs in the best light, and has outdone himself here.

This album contains at least three all-time Stewart classics in "Lord Salisbury," "Shah of Shahs" and "Hanno the Navigator," the latter of which inspired the album's cover art. Like many of Stewart's historical epics, "Lord Salisbury" might send one to an encyclopedia to better understand its title character, but one need know nothing about that Victorian-era prime minister to enjoy Stewart's tune and wordplay and the tremendously effective horn arrangement.

"Shah of Shahs", inspired in part by Ryszard Kapuscinski's book of the same name detailing the downfall of the last Shah of Iran, subtly makes its point that all such figures pursue their own version of the perfect dream.

Throughout the album, as in all of Stewart's best efforts, there are moments both grand and delicate, and pleasures to be found in both extremes. Several of these songs, such as "Angry Bird" (with its imagery of radical penguins leading an errant avian youth astray) will hit you in full immediately, while others such as the sublime "Silver Kettle" will reveal themselves gradually with repeated listenings.

Al Stewart's talents as a lyricist and composer are in full flower, and this collection stands proudly alongside the most celebrated works of his past.

I've been a fan of Al Stewart's work for 30 years ever since I bought the album Time Passages after hearing the title track on the radio as a 16 year old. Since then I've picked up every new Al album as soon as I was aware it was out. There is something comforting about getting a new Al Stewart cd. You basically know just what you are getting - intelligent songwriting, great music and Al's timeless distinctive voice - which sounds just as perfect now as it did in the early 70's. Even on some of his weaker albums there are always at least a few tracks that impress. But Sparks Of Ancient Light is not weak in any way. Al has put together a great collection of songs - beautiful, often historical, writing coupled with exquisite musicianship. Laurence Juber's production is the perfect setting for these songs. There are at least a half dozen that have already become personal favorites in the past few days. I would go so far as to say that Sparks Of Ancient Light along with Down In The Cellar (from a few years ago) may be Al's 2 best albums since the late 70's.

More brilliance from Al and Laurence Juber. Another great collection of songs spanning eons of time,with tales of oceans, desserts, football fields and angry birds. (Did you expect anything less?) Unlike the stories of recent albums which focused on life between the wars, wine or the shells of lost opportunities, this one has a running theme of seeing in the light of the moment, when ever that moment may occur: thousands of years ago, the fifties or a lost moment on a football field. Al Stewart remains a preeminent storyteller, history lover and songwriter. He continues on an unmatched roll with stellar album after the next. "Sparks" is beautifully produced with great splashes of gorgeous violin,hammond organ and guitar work throughout. As will all of Al's albums,repeated listenings are a must! For me, "Sparks" ranks up there with the Fleet Foxes as great albums of 2008 and is another delightful addition to the Al Stewart catalog. Yes sir, tis a beauty indeed.

Was lucky enough to get an early copy of Sparks of Ancient Light at a concert, and to hear Al tell us all about it. That always adds an extra dimension to his songs for me.

This album, to me, is both simplistically catchy and deeply profound. I found myself singing along to it the first time I played it, but some of the lyrics had kind of an after affect for me, like it was all just a lot of fun until the whole picture formed in my head. But I suppose that's just me.

What I also picked up on is a completely different frame of mind from Beach Full of Shells. On that album, Al seems reminiscent, looking back and looking ahead from the point of view of someone who has a lot to look at.

This album feels lighter and more playful. Even though some of the topics are a bit dark, the songs themselves all have a sense of hope and even the occasional recklessness. There is a definite balance in the imbalance that eventually feels good and right regardless of what actually happened to the song's subjects.

If this sounds a bit heady, it's because it was to me. But now it's feeling more like just a really fun and catchy little album. I just chose my official favorite song: Like William McKinley. :)

I wouldn't recommend this album to new Al Stewart fans. You really need to be a long-time fan to appreciate it. But if you are a true fan, BUY THIS ALBUM NOW! You need to have it!

Has it really been three years since Al Stewart's last release? It seems almost like yesterday that I bought and reviewed A Beach Full of Shells. I said at the time that it was the best Stewart album since The Last Days of the Century, but that opinion is now eclipsed by the release of the masterful Sparks of Ancient Light.
Almost forty years on since I was first turned on to and by Stewart's music, his voice is still as fresh and youthful as it was then and his songwriting skills have not diminished. On this CD, Stewart is sometimes jaunty and sometimes somber, but is always a delight. My favorites here are the mysterious The Ear of the Night, the sober Shah of Shahs, the winsome Angry Bird, the desolation of The Loneliest Place on the Map, the dreamy Football Hero, and the bouncy Elvis at the Wheel. Your list of favorites may well be different from mine, but you'll have to agree that Sparks of Ancient Light is inspired.
Al Stewart is a timeless talent who just never seems to run out of things to sing about although his some of his topics often seem more than a little obscure. On this CD, his subjects range from brave explorations of thousands of years ago in Hanno the Navigator to the very current topic of financial chicanery in Sleepwalking. Though I read a couple of reviews by people who say they are long-time Al Stewart fans but don't like this, I think most fans who actually have followed Stewart through the years will be excited by the quality of this release even though there are admittedly a couple of weak songs.
The CD is accompanied by a booklet containing all pertinent album information and those all-important lyrics that everyone should read in order to have the proper appreciation for what Stewart has achieved here.
If you are a fan of Al Stewart, then this is one you should not pass up!

Where to begin with Al Stewart.....I became a fan with "Love Chronicles" and grown up as a fan. Every time he slips from my attention for a moment, here comes another album/CD. Wow, this one really came to my attention.

"Sparks" is his best work in years. As I say that, I really can't think of a bad release. "Cellar" was a little quirky but not bad.

The first song that hit me was "The Eisenhower Years". While historically, those years were a little before my time, I am old enough to know people who did live through them. As with most of Al's songs, the music and lyrics fit the mood perfectly.

"Sleepwalking" is intensely satisfying with a mood, too.

Aww, nuts, I'm not going to go through each cut and critique them. I'm just going to say that Al does not disappoint. Being a fan, I listened patiently for his bombshells and was very satisfied with every cut.

It's a good CD, especially if you are an Al Stewart fan. His talent is put to good use here. Buy it and enjoy!

Like most reviewers, I am a long-time AS fan. At first listening, I didn't quite "get" this album, and was a little disapointed that there seemed to be no masterpiece like "Somewhere in England 1915," Laughing into 1939," or "Trains." I had to listen to the album several times before I realized that many of the songs on this album were really unique. I have never heard songs quite like "Football Hero," "Sleepwalking," or "Elvis at the Wheel." The more I listened, the more I liked. Wow -- the man is in his creative prime. I am not just listening to the songs, I am exploring them. Dare I ask for ten more years and three more albums?

I, too, have long been a fan of Al Stewart, going back to "Love Chronicles." While "Sparks of Ancient Light" has moments of real brilliance (my favorite is "Hanno the Navigator" the melody of which has been stuck in my head for the week I've had this CD), it suffers from the same unevenness as a few of Al's latest offerings. "The Loneliest Place On The Map" is particularly dull.

But I quibble. Al Stewart is one of but a handful of '60's and '70's singer songwriters whose talent and quality output has endured. A mediocre Stewart song is vastly superior to almost anything heard today.

For those unacquainted with Al, the best place to start is his '70's album "Past, Present, and Future."

The lyrics, with few exceptions, are among the strongest of his career. Laurence Juber's production is stellar throughout: the Purcell-like trumpet in "Lord Salisbury" beautifully evokes the sea-girdled isolation of pre-Edwardian England; the guitar lines in "Elvis At The Wheel" invest a song that could have easily become a lampoon with the strange mix of piety and paranoia that was Elvis Presley. There are some mildly weak moments: (A Child's View Of) The Eisenhower Years" is in some ways just an American reworking of "Post World War Two Blues", with a melody borrowed from "Another Face In The Crowd", a song that's been kicking around unrecorded since the "Time Passages" days. "Football Hero" plays like it was written and performed by people who think sport is very silly, indeed. But the rest of the work -- the beautiful, jazzy intro to "The Ear of the Night", filled with Juber's tasteful playing, the lyrical brilliance of "Shah of Shahs" and "Lord Salisbury", the infectious melody of "Hanno The Navigator" -- make this an album to be treasured. "A Beach Full of Shells" was a masterwork, showing Stewart at the height of his lyrical and musical powers. This record is a worthy companion to its predecessor.

Thirty years removed from his commercial zenith, Al Stewart is writing the strongest, most interesting music of his career. This is an outstanding record. It deserves a wide audience.

I don't like to compare Al Stewart albums. In this case I will make an exception. The first LP I ever bought by Stewart was the Year of the Cat after hearing Lord Grenville one hot summer morning in 1977(?) I did not like the LP on first listening. By the end of the week, after listening to Year of the Cat every day, I was converted. I reacted the same way to Sparks of Ancient Light - after listening to it for a week in my car, I could not remove it. I think I listened to it every day for 2 or 3 weeks, and I'm still listening to it. Sparks has everything that made Year of the Cat so engaging - great melodies, interesting lyrics, a mix of history and 3rd person and 1st person songs. Al's best songs have sometimes had a streak of melancholy, and you will find that on Sparks as well. He also has a great sense of humor - just listen to Football Hero about a soccer player who screws up the championship game. He should have passed the ball. There is such a nice variety of music on Sparks. Shah of Shahs , A Child's View of the Eisenhower Years, Elvis at the Wheel, Silver Kettle are incredible songs. Sleepwalking is so timely with all the financial corruption scandals of our present day. Elvis at the Wheel is an exciting song (and a true story). I love all of Stewart's work with Lawrence Juber, but Sparks of Ancient Light is truly an exceptional work in Al's catalog, and I would recommend it as highly as possible. Give it a few listens and you will understand what I am writing.