Once

AMG Review of Once

Brian Downing
All Music Guide

After a disappointing decade of flawed releases, Roy Harper began the '90s on a strong note with the resurgent Once, an album very reminiscent in tone of Harper's 1980 effort, The Unknown Soldier. Despite the similarity, Once is the far superior album due to Harper's effort to downplay production in lieu of musicianship. Many of the lyrics deal with the impact of the fall of communism, which had taken place as Harper recorded the album. Most seem heavy-handed, though, except for the touching poetry of "Berliners," a song which features David Gilmour on guitar. "The Black Cloud of Islam" deals with a completely different issue, and drew fire from critics for its attacks on organized religion. Harper's next album, Death or Glory?, with its more personal imagery, is the one to get for those wanting the best from this era, but Once isn't far behind.