Well, I thought I was guilty of highlighting a relatively known artist but Trolls blew me out of the water with Al Stewart
Of course, Al Stewart has a bit of of a history dating back to the late sixties as part of the English folk revival. He didn't become known in the states until the Year of the Cat in 1976 though. Year of the Cat was a smash hit for Stewart in the States and the following album, Time Passages, seemed to be a bit redundant comparatively. I listened to Time Passages first, then played Year of the Cat to compare the two albums and I have to say Year of the Cat is a bit more superior and certainly more consistent.
Having said that, Time Passages, is nonetheless, a pleasant album. I was partial to Life in Dark water which, like Lisna says, has a spooky feel to it, almost even dark in a way. I also liked Almost Lucy which has a bit of a western feel to it. Overall though, the album has a pleasant feel and yet comes off as Stewart trying to sound a bit more commercial, particularly with the title track. It's sort of like the album after the classic, kind of like Magical Mystery Tour following Sgt. Pepper, or Sandinista after London Calling. In other words, a pleasant listen, but nothing earthshaking. I'd still call it an above average album though.
Rating: 7/10 (The Word has spoken
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PS- Please don't shoot yourself. Do you know how hard it is to clean up brain matter?