The cover alone is a dead giveaway, echoing as it does the cover of
Crocodiles, with what looks like a set of trees and a car in place of
De Freitas. But that telling and unavoidable absence alone puts the promise and problem of
Echo's comeback album in perspective --
McCulloch and Sergeant had been working together again and
Pattinson returned to the fold, but without
De Freitas something remained unavoidably absent. Replacement drummer Michael Lee fills in adequately but not completely, rendering what was a special group something less so. The remaining core three discharge their duties well enough, but the focus is unavoidably on
McCulloch this time around, rendering Sergeant and
Pattinson to the status of talented backing players and making
Evergreen seem like an extension of
McCulloch's solo career more than anything. While Sergeant in particular shows many flashes of the brilliance of
Echo's first phase, his work is more conventional here, perhaps the result of his experimental tendencies with his solo project,
Glide. As an album
Evergreen is closest to
Ocean Rain due to the liberal appearance of the
London Symphony Orchestra throughout, sometimes with impressive results, though without achieving the total heights of artistry of that earlier collection. There's nothing quite like "The Killing Moon" or "Ocean Rain" itself this time around. For all that, when
Evergreen shines at its best, it's still an attractive piece of work. The album's most successful number, the gently epic "Nothing Lasts Forever," gets an extra boost from an uncredited backing singer,
Oasis'
Liam Gallagher, while "I Want to Be There (When You Come)," the title track, and the moody "Just a Touch Away" kick up some smoke. ~ Ned Raggett