On paper, so much of the current progressive rock scene seems like a recipe for disaster: one guy masterminding a specific brand or vision, enlisting guest musicians (often rotating from album to album) to achieve a studio-sterile sound. That was my fear when I heard about Ellesmere, an Italian modern prog project headed by Roberto Vitelli who plays bass and keyboards in addition to songwriting¹. Another ill omen: he changed singers from his previous album. But then I saw a name as I perused the credits to Stranger Skies: Tomas Bodin? From that band I reviewed so many great albums from? More hope: it’s inspired by A Trick of the Tail, my (kinda) favorite Genesis album? Then I actually heard that new singer, John Wilkinson, quite possibly a younger cloned version of Phil Collins. You know, from the A Trick of the Tail era? All in, baby.

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