On Al Stewart's newest CD he does what many musicians dream of doing; he takes the feel of past successes and places that feeling firmly into new songs that have the same sense of wonder and intrigue as some of his best work. There may not be a breakout success like "Year of the Cat" or "Time Passages" on this album, but overall it could easily stand by his earlier work.

One of the reasons this CD is such a pleasure to listen to is the man himself. Al Stewart's voice sounds exactly the same as it did on the album Year of the Cat, which took me by surprise. Most 70's and 80's pop singers have had the ravages of time show on their vocal cords, but you'll find nothing like that here. It's almost like this is a continuation of an earlier album, released long after the tracks had been laid down. After the initial shock (I have to admit I was steeling myself for a pale shadow of his former sound), I've got to say that I'm impressed.

If Al's voice has stood the test of time, his lyrics too have the same timelessness; they're still the strangely soulful blend of renaissance festival, folk, and popular radio. I used to think of him as the Beatle that came too late, but now I see how his earlier songs like "Year of the Cat" may have influenced musicians like Tori Amos and Michael Stipe. Well, his lyrics on this CD may not be that mysterious, but like poetry, the listener should stop and appreciate the turn of phrase in order to get the most out of them. Luckily this album comes complete with pages of lyrics, so you can absorb them at your leisure.

The first track, "The Immelman Turn," starts things off with a rousing tune about a high-flyer in 1922. The catchy hook, complete with bodhran and bones, will be stuck in my head for days. But even though the song itself deals with the flyer's final not-so-death-defying turn, it's a joyful tune, so I won't mind if it decides to stay for a while.

My favorite track is "Katherine of Oregon," a tune about growing old and spending time with the one you love. It harkens back to tunes like the Beatles' "When I'm Sixty-Four" and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's "Our House." If that's the way old age will be, I'll be happy to achieve it.

"Royal Courtship" is the one song this album could have done without. The repetitive use of the word "majordomo" made me giggle, but the song is such a plaintive one that giggling probably isn't what Al had in mind. "Anniversary" is another sad song, but this time the lyrics and music work, and the song is a brief commentary on the life of someone who never felt like she "fit into [her] skin."

Many of the songs on this collection deal with the aftermath of relationships gone south. "Royal Courtship," "Somewhere in England 1915," and "Beacon Street" all deal with love gone wrong, either real or imagined. But before you think this is a CD best played when you're wearing your baggy sweats eating your last pint of post-breakup Ben & Jerry's, each of these tracks end with the knowledge that things get better with time. The lighthearted melodies give a happiness and hope to tunes that could have easily become bogged down with sentimentality. Track number seven, "Mona Lisa Talking," even proposes that the heartbroken may be wrong in their perceptions, based on the knowledge of one famous woman who has seen it all.

Stewart's guitar playing is well done, but you can feel his playing, each strum and pick, on this album. That's not bad, in fact his playing is riveting in its own way. But it's not the effortless action of someone like Eric Clapton. What is effortless in these songs is Al's voice, and the mix of velvet smooth vocals with guitar work you can hear and appreciate blends beautifully.

A beach full of shells will be a part of my permanent musical rotation. The tunes are suitable for sitting down and listening to by yourself, and they have a lovely folk/pop touch that would be welcome during parties or other friendly gathering. With punk rock, heavy metal and Top 40 radio grabbing listeners at the time he made his biggest splash, Al Stewart always felt to me like a singer-songwriter whose music was ahead of his time. Perhaps it's because in today's musical climate anything goes, but now Al Stewart's music feels right at home.