Squackett - A Life WIthin a Day Review

So Squackett, the collaboration that Steve Hackett and Chris Squire have been working on for some four years now, has finally surfaced The two began working together — after having actually met in the mid-80s in the U.S. — when Chris Squire was working on a solo Christmas album (Swiss Choir) and needed some guitar parts. Squire was put in touch with Hackett, who contributed guitar to Squire’s album. The bassist returned the favor by playing on Hackett’s last two solo releases, Beyond The Shrouded Horizon and Out Of The Tunnel’s Mouth. As they worked together on those various projects, the nine songs on A Life Within A Day were born.

From the plodding (in a good way) verses and big single-note main theme of the album’s title track, both Hackett and Squires’ writing styles mesh perfectly — not to mention their voices. There is also some blistering instrumentation throughout, showcasing drummer Jeremy Stacey’s talents as well (he of the new Oasis project, Sheryl Crow and many others). The title track opens quietly with Hackett’s perfect (yet too short for my tastes) classic guitar noodling, but then we are into an almost funky groove on “Tall Ships,” another song featuring a superb vocal mix....full text Squackett is project album pairing progressive rock veterans Chris Squire bassist for Yes, and former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. It’s an album four years in the making and came about when each of them required the services of the other for their solo projects. The music evolved over time and Squackett was born. They got some help from Roger King on keyboards, Amanda Lehmann on vocals, and Jeremy Stacey on drums.

A Life Within A Day has musical elements you might expect. There’s 70’s era Genesis, a little Yes, but there’s more. There’s a taste of Brit pop ala XTC as well as a little prog-pop from Hackett’s side project GTR. Though the level of musicianship is high, it’s very much a vocal album with tight harmonies and lush arrangements. It’s a dreamy, soothing, and accessible prog record with silky production. It also features excellent playing and gorgeous guitar tones....full text SQUACKETT is a project of Steve Hackett, Chris Quire and Roger King. The latter pulled the strings and presumably also kept track of the music during the long production time. A Life Within A Day is a pleasant project that is quite enjoyable to listen to. It is definitely not a prog album, and it is therefore bound to disappoint fans who had hoped for a prog album, though cynics would assert that prog fans are always disappointed when their heroes do not make prog music. If you give the album a try you are likely to enjoy it. It is actually quite remarkable what a creative output Steve Hackett has been producing lately.
It is an autonomous project. Life Within A Day comes out on a neutral label, and neither prog heavyweight's name is visible straightaway. SQUACKETT is SQUACKETT, not Chris Squire & Steve Hackett. So much for the name.
Expectations in the progressive fan camps of Genesis and Yes are naturally high, though nobody ever said which style the album would be in. A Life Within A Day is therefore basically the playground for to musical legends and not a place to stick a label on. ...full text