Short Reviews [The Boxx Orchestra - 2024 - "The Horn Of Plenty"]

Here we have the second album by Dutch proggers The Boxx Orchestra, who were formed in 2016 by Jan Boekestein, the current line-up being Ria Mulder (vocals), Jos van der Zanden (guitar, backing vocals), Jan Boekestein (keyboards, backing vocals), Walter Husstege (bass), and Kees Schollen (drums). It contains symphonic elements, but there are also neo and folk which makes for a release which has loads of space within it and often has quite a Seventies feel as well. There are some nice dated keyboards at times, especially on the introduction of "Go For The Night" which has obviously been heavily influenced by Supertramp. For the most part this is quite a pleasant and unobtrusive release, although there are times when it comes across as a little too twee for my tastes, but when the nicest thing I can see about the release is that it is pleasant, there then is obviously an issue. I am not the biggest fan of the vocals, while there is not enough bite and complexity within the material for it to really stand out. The result is an album which I expect will be enjoyed by those who have seen the band in concert and have purchased this as a memory, but for someone coming to them "cold" then there is not a great deal here to make me want to continue playing it for pleasure. I have seen some very positive reviews for this, but while this is a solid progressive release there it does not reach heights in any area, so consequently I doubt I will ever listen to it again.