Let this be a lesson: NEVER judge a book by its cover. I know…True, the new album from Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks has a startlingly bad cover¹. It might put you off to checking out the music within, and that would be a damn shame. Because what we have here is a terrific set of musicians challenging the former Yes frontman to craft the best Yes album in the last 40 years. And damn if Anderson didn’t do just that: bring the classic prog sound (well, classic from the late 70s to early 80s) into the modern era with panache and style. True rocks, it rolls, and it progs like nobody’s business, and it’s probably my favorite album of the year, at least when it comes to playing an album at top volume and breaking my throat trying to sing along every chance I get. What more can you ask for?

The Band Geeks are a supergroup of musicians led by, among others, Richie Castellano who’s currently also helping to revitalize Blue Öyster Cult. The band supported Anderson playing vintage Yes tunes on previous tours and the itch to really craft an album in that spirit was something no one could resist. But I don’t think anyone expected something as fantastic as this. Opening with “True Messenger” the band immediately establishes its bonafides with a tight arrangement of acoustic guitars, keyboards, and a bass sound ripped right out of the late Chris Squire’s handbook. Anderson crafts some of his most catchy vocal melodies to date, and lyrically calls back to his joyous, inner peace and love themes with the band filling out the harmonies. At 80 Anderson still sounds terrific, capable of hitting those signature highs but with an evident breath and rasp that brings a sense of age and experience to the entirety of True. But his youthful exuberance is just as present: “Shine On” could have been ripped right out of the days of 90125 and has the same sense of exuberance and play that “Owner Of A Lonely Heart” and “Our Song” had. I’ll go a step further though and say both this and “True Messenger” are better than anything from that album.

Those looking for big epics won’t be disappointed: both the 10-minute “Counties and Countries” and the massive 16-minute “Once Upon A Dream” fulfill the promise of big, Yes-like epics but without reaching back and cloning the vintage 70s vibe of classics like Close To The Edge or Tales From Topographic Oceans. The songs here feel like a dream of those times, embodying the spirit without mimicking the actual arrangements or style of the day. There are no massive Rick Wakeman keyboard pyrotechnics here; instead, keyboardist Christopher Clark focuses on tasteful excursions and beautiful accompaniment the songs, ensuring the arrangement are tight even when they stretch into the double digits, while Robert Kipp brings the vintage with plenty of Hammond organ. The whole band is on fire; in addition to Castellano, Clark and Kipp guitarist Andy Graziano provides a modern, rich tone to his solos and riffing, and drummer Andy Ascolese keeps everything moving with a solid if less showy display of percussion. I prefer “Counties and Countries” for the incredible vocal hooks, but fans itching for some real extended prog won’t be disappointed at all, especially when they hear the workout on “Once Upon A Dream” which rocks and gives Anderson the chance to stretch and even reference a particular classic from his prior band’s heyday.

While the above four songs serve as the highlights for True, the rest of the album holds up just wonderfully. “Build Me An Ocean” uses Anderson’s age to construct a lovely ballad that simmers until the second half when the band catches flight. “Still A Friend” brings the funky, bouncy prog back, and “Realization, Pt. 2” revels in some acoustic folk joy. As I look back on this year there were enough challenges in my life that I find myself in dark moments craving light, and comfort. More often than not this was the album I turned to, and every track brought a smile to my face, some peace and comfort on long walks, drives in the car, and at home when I needed to drive away the depression and anxiety.

Sometimes you want music that reflects your being, and sometimes you want to feel good again. There are miles to unpack in that sentence – I just realized by differentiating my “being” with feeling good I have a ways to go in order to get to the space I want to be in.

True helps me to remember that path exists, and will continue to exist as long as I look for it.

¹ I MAY have used my office’s AI assistant to make a more pleasing album art for my own personal use. Sue me.