A reunion of four of
Pentangle's original members (only
John Renbourn is missing),
Open the Door is a resounding artistic success. Impeccable jazz-inflected musicianship and folkie vocal harmonies combine to produce one of the best outings released under the
Pentangle name in their multi-decade career.
Bert Jansch's melodic, bluesy acoustic guitar provides the underpinning driving the compositions, with tonal colorations courtesy of Mike Piggott on violin and guitars.
Jacqui McShee's vocals are beautiful, and the rhythm section of drummer
Terry Cox and double bassist
Danny Thompson nimbly maneuver through the tricky slow to midtempo rhythms. When dissected, this is complex, challenging music, but the listener need not get bogged down in the minutiae of the compositions and arrangements, he or she need merely lie back and enjoy this pastoral ride through the English countryside. This is gorgeous stuff. ~ Jim Newsom