After a successful eighteen months, first with the album 'Brand New Morning' and more recently with the 'Storytellers Night' 20th Anniversary shows and DVD, Magnum singer Bob Catley returns with his fifth solo album in the shape of 'Spirit Of Man'

Catley, having never been a song writer himself, has always relied on outside composers for his material. In Magnum that responsibility lies squarely with guitarist Tony Clarkin, whereas for his first three solo albums the songs were supplied solely by Ten supremo Gary Hughes. Catley's last solo outing saw a break from this tradition as another of the Ten alumni, keyboard player Paul Hodson, wrote some of the best tunes Catley had produced up to that point as a solo artist on the excellent 'Where Empires Burn' opus. Now, with Spirit Of Man' the song writing responsibilities have once again changed hands and lie, this time round, with Catley's long time guitarist Vince O'Regan alongside Lost Weekend cohorts Dave Thompson & Paul Uttley.

The result of this change in part is to move Catley, for the first time, well away from the more traditional Magnum-esque path he has so far followed and into a more metallic arena, albeit one that harks back to the late seventies, early eighties for its inspiration. Indeed the  opening two tracks, 'Heart Of Stone' & 'Moment Of Truth'  have more in common with Tony Martin era Black Sabbath or perhaps a Dio or Rainbow than they do with Magnum. That this is so is mainly thanks to the musical layers his collaborators have provided as, as always, Catley's vocals prove unmistakable from the first bar in which they kick in.

This heavier direction is sustained throughout the whole of the first quarter of the album and it isn't until 'Last Snows of Winter' that the Magnumisms, that were perhaps inevitable, make an appearance. The more keyboard orientated music, and especially the rhythm guitar, along with the more mid-paced nature of the track make the comparisons unavoidable but to be honest don't detract from the overall song and this Magnum feel continues into the title track itself with it's layered vocals and chugging guitar.

Catley himself has stated that 'Spirit of Man' is his "heavy metal album", and whilst this may be pushing the boundaries of what can be considered heavy metal, the album certainly has its moments, however to some extent Spirit of Man' appears to be caught between a rock and a hard place. The first few songs certainly have a harder edge than most of the albums in which Catley has previously been involved, but whether it was feared that his natural fanbase, that is Magnum fans, wouldn't take to this new direction' means that the later portion of the record veers into far more familiar territory. This is no more evident than on 'Walk On Water' & 'Beautiful Mind' which really are excellent imitations of Magnum at it's best and wouldn't be out of place on say 'Vigilante' or 'Wings of Heaven'. It must be said however that this is no criticism, merely an observation, as in general the compositions are pretty damn good and the all round performances from those involved are of the highest quality, particularly Vince O'Regan who once again adds some excellent guitar work to proceedings.

Overall 'Spirit Of Man' is another consistent, at times truly excellent album from Catley and certainly shouldn't disappoint anyone its just, from a personal point of view, I would have preferred the band to have the courage to stick with the heavier feel of the opening four tracks rather than reverting to type mid way through.

Let us know your views on 'Spirit Of Man'

Track List

Heart Of Stone
Moment Of Truth
In The Name of The Cause
Blinded By A Lie
Last Snows Of Winter
Spirit Of Man
The Fire Within Me
Judgement Day
Lost To The Night
Beautiful Mind
Walk On Water
End Of The Story

Line Up

Bob Catley - Vocals
Vince O'Regan - Guitar
Irvin Parratt - Keyboards
Al Barrow - Bass
Jamie Little - Drums