Saga – 20/20
Eagle Rock Entertainment
www.eaglerockent.com

Rating: B

Saga has returned, and reunited, with front man Michael Sadler, releasing a new album of ten tunes that will thrill Saga’s hardcore fan base.

The tunes are pretty much what one would expect from the Canadian Prog Rockers. “Six Feet Under” starts the show off impressively. The band do not concentrate on trying to make hit singles, instead opting to show off their chops, all the while keeping it melodic and accessible.

The best tunes are “One of These Days” and “Till the Well Runs Dry,” the former being the closest the band gets to recapturing their glory days.

While Saga is a great band, this one comes shy of greatness, however, it shows their greatness in many musical moments throughout the CD. While the name of the album suggests they are seeing things clearly, the end result shows they are moving in the right direction, but they may want to keep their looking glasses on a while longer.

I don’t want to give the impression one should not purchase the CD, as the music will not disappoint. However, they are so damn close to cranking this one out of the stratosphere that one can’t help but feel they just didn’t quite capture each moment the best they could.

On a positive side, if this is the first album back with Sadler, and it’s this good, one can’t wait to hear what they come up with next.

By Jeb Wright