CIRCA - HQ - 2009

Circa is the brainchild of Billy Sherwood, who is one of the many faces to share the stage, and call himself a member, of the band Yes. Billy made an impression though, as Circa includes Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye, and formerly Yes drummer Alan White has been in Circa. White is gone, replaced by Jay Schellen. HQ continues on with the tradition of the band’s self-titled debut. Sherwood’s voice is perfect for prog. He can be emotional, angry, soothing or excited. “False Start” really shows the band’s Yes roots in the vein of Big Generator or 90125 era. To be fair, one would have to say Sherwood brings a Peter Gabriel flair to the mix.

The album contains well-written songs, to say the least. Each song is a tapestry of colors, mixing light and shade to bring forth the artistic vision of the musicians. “Ever Changing World” is another prog/pop example of songwriting that makes Circa so unique. Guitarist Jimmy Hahn makes his presence much more known on this album than he did with the band’s debut. “Haun Solo” shows his acoustic side while “We Can Last” allows him to show off his electric chops.

At the end of the day, Circa is a band that deserves much more press than they get. This is one of the most talented bands out there today. Their music is, oddly, both unique and reminiscent of bands such as Yes, Gentle Giant and Peter Gabriel era Genesis. This is the real deal and prog fans, as well as classic rock fans, need to check out Circa to see that there are still bands from the rock era that can create passion filled music that is technically brilliant and esthetically pleasing.
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