“Indigo” has been a long time coming. Twelve years have passed since Asia’s last studio album, “Gravitas”, and Geoff Downes began writing for its follow-up with John Wetton back in 2015. The world was a little different then. Wetton’s illness and subsequent death left those plans unfinished, but Downes felt it would be a shame if these songs never saw the light of day.
He was right.
The current incarnation of Asia certainly has the pedigree. Alongside Downes are Virgil Donati on drums, John Mitchell on guitar and Harry Whitley on bass and vocals. Asia have had plenty of changes over the years, but this line-up is right out of the top drawer. The live performances had already offered evidence of that. “Indigo” gives them the opportunity to put their own stamp on the band’s story.
“The Traveller (Into The Light)” immediately understands the assignment. If you mixed prog and AOR, gave it magnificent keyboards, a healthy helping of grandiosity and a chorus that soars, you would arrive somewhere around here. That is the lineage of Asia, of course, but there is a freshness to this too. They sound excited by what they can do together.
And they mix things up. “Change Of Heart” has the air of a musical about it, its theatrical streak giving the record another dimension, while “Arcadia” displays that ability they have to make everything sound epic. It is almost an overture, such is its sense of occasion. “Is This The Life?” offers beautiful piano and an unmistakable 80s feel, the sort of combination that comes naturally to this band.
The three-part “Tattoo Indigo”, though, is the centrepiece. Its synth-driven opening sets the scene, before Part 2 introduces a folk interlude and Part 3 turns into a real hard rocker. The changes give it scope, but the individual sections are strong enough to justify the ambition. Mitchell’s guitar solo is sublime, and there are plenty of reminders across this record of just what a wonderful player he is.
Parts 2 and 3 include some of Wetton’s final writing, giving the suite an added significance. Yet the music itself is what makes it such a compelling focal point.
“Life In The Sun” is a power ballad, more or less, but it is exquisitely done. You can call these things familiar if you like; making them sound this good is another matter. “Hymn For The Fallen”, with its reference to “the brave and the broken”, has a touch of Magnum about it. There is that same understanding of how to give melodic rock a sense of grandeur and feeling.
“Night And Day” has a classic feel, while “Valencia (The Ghost Ship)” finds the keyboards and strings combining beautifully. Downes’ contribution throughout is central to the atmosphere, and those textures are particularly effective here.
“Chesapeake Bay”, another song with its roots in Wetton and Downes’ writing together, features Steve Howe on acoustic guitar. It is warm and welcoming, and there is something rather lovely about hearing that connection to the band’s beginnings within this new chapter.
The harmonies on “On A Winter’s Night” are infectious, before “Echo Of You” brings the main album to a close with what is almost the perfect Asia song. By then, Whitley’s phenomenal vocal performance across the record has become one of its defining features. There is a considerable legacy attached to that microphone, and he sounds entirely at home.
The bonus version of “Tattoo Indigo (Part 3)” gives Mike Portnoy a turn behind the kit. It is always a pleasure to hear him play, and this is a fine excuse to revisit one of the album’s outstanding passages.
It wasn’t until I read Paul Rees’ “Raised On Radio” earlier this year that I really appreciated the scale of Asia’s impact in the 1980s. I had seen them live a few years ago, but reading about that period made me look at their place in it a little differently.
“Indigo” adds something worthy to that legacy. There is affection for the past throughout, understandably, but there is also a band here with the ability and desire to look to the future. These songs deserved to be heard, and this line-up has done them proud.
It has been worth waiting over a decade for.
Rating: 9/10
