Strictly Inc.

With Strictly Inc., Tony Banks slightly returned to his prog rock roots, abandoning some of the more blatant pop of Bankstatement and Still. That's not to say the material here is as complex or dramatic as his work on early Genesis records. Indeed, for the most part Strictly Inc, with its predominant keyboard washes and adult contemporary pieces, resembles Genesis' post-Phil Collins comeback attempt, Calling All Stations. The more conventional tracks such as "Walls of Sound" and "A Piece of You" are fine but do little to stand out from the adult contemporary genre. The more progressive work heard on "Don't Turn Your Back on Me" and "The Serpent Said," among others, is arranged fairly conventionally but contains some of the interesting chords and musical shifts that prog rock is known for. "The Serpent Said" especially shows some courage on the part of Banks. That's nothing, of course, compared to "An Island in the Darkness," the 17-minute piece which closes the album. While not as musically adventurous as Banks' early work, with it's multiple sections and dramatic peaks, it should find a place in the hearts of those who long for the heyday of prog-rock. [Note: While Strictly Inc. was nominally a new band, Banks wrote all the songs, and it was really his project. It is thus often filed in the Tony Banks section of stores.]