John Wetton - Rock Of Faith (2003)

John Wetton's early-2003 album Rock of Faith appeared after a two-year string of concert releases. It was written at a crossroads in the singer/bassist's life, in the wake of his 50th birthday – it was also occasioned by his extended visit to Vienna, which stimulated him artistically, and recorded in the wake of the dire world events of 2001 halfway around the globe. The ex-Family/King Crimson/Asia member rises to the occasion here, with an album evocative of his progressive rock past, yet slightly leaner and more focused than most of those efforts ever were, and supported by Geoffrey Downes (keyboards), Clive Nolan (keyboards), John Mitchell (electric guitars), and Steve Christey (drums). The music offers a compelling mix of grandeur and accessibility, not surprisingly very similar at times to Asia at their best, with sweeping, enveloping sheets of sound carrying gorgeous melodies over beautiful, keyboard-generated arrangements, all coupled with a close, emotive vocal performance by Wetton – who is a better singer in the 21st century than he was in the 20th, in terms of what he does with his voice. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music