Reflection - PENTANGLE***

Wedding Dress/Omie Wise/Will The Circle Be Unbroken/When I Get Home/Rain & Snow/Helping Hand/ So Clear/Reflection

By the time of the release of Reflection the glory days of Pentangle, riding high in the charts, of a couple of years previously, were now behind them. Newer groups such as Steeleye Span were now starting to eclipse them in popularity on the British folk scene. (US:183)

“The rock elements return somewhat on this album, after receding a bit in Cruel Sister, resulting in what might be my favourite Pentangle album. Including a wonderfully gentle and moving rendition of the old country standard Will The Circle Be Unbroken. This does not indicate a move to country territory - in fact, it's one of several songs which take advantage of the lush, rich sound the band achieves.”

“Reflection with its slightly simpler, more straight-forward occasionally electrified sound still does not become a really neat album, yet it works better than the others.”

“Reflection is a rather sophisticated folk album with slight prog related tendencies: Country and blues elements are also present. The songs are rather delicate and mellow, and the excellent acoustic bass jazzy rhythms, which are a strong point of the record, give a warm dimension to the music overall.”

“Others may prefer the full folk of the early albums, or the slicker sounds of Basket Of Light, but for me this is where Pentangle really fire on all cylinders. There's the usual amount of traditional material, but there's a twist: they include songs from the American Appalachian folk songbook.”

“Yet another pretty enjoyable album from these folk rock giants. Pleasant tunes made all the more enjoyable by Jacqui McShee's great vocals.”

“The clear melodies of classic Pentangle shine through on Reflection in a way that their other albums simply cannot compare with. This is best seen in the quiet, hymnal power of the American folk tune Will The Circle Be Unbroken which the band plays as if they had known it since childhood, and the more upbeat but equally quiet Wedding Dress possesses a rare, joyful tone. At the same time, the epic title track seems to fit together perfectly, just like a jigsaw puzzle. Rain & Snow has a sharpness and folksy sound that was absent from the earlier Pentangle releases.”