Asia - Silent Nation (2004)

Asia’s run with bassist and songwriter John Payne handling lead vocals is destined to end up a footnote in the band’s long history. The long shadow cast by the debut forever cemented John Wetton as the voice and face out front for Asia, so accepting Payne as his replacement remained a daunting task over four studio albums. Judged on their merits, Payne objectively stacks up well, but comes up short on key points. He grew into the role over time and certainly showed development however. His final studio album co-written with Geoff Downes before the 2006 reunion of the original lineup, Silent Nation, is arguably his most complete performance as the band’s front man and an inspired outing with their commercial prospects at, arguably, their lowest ebb.

There are immediate questions. “What About Love?” is the sort of arch traditionalist Asia inviting criticism. On one hand, however, there’s much worth admiring. The track’s musical elements are well balanced against each other and the band’s signature harmonies are immaculately arranged. There’s an interesting moment late in the song when the band falls away and cedes the spotlight to Geoff Downes’ organ playing. The song’s foundation, however, is moldy and rotting. The rhythm section throbs along with the same straight line tempo we’ve seemingly heard in many Asia songs. “Long Way from Home” has a little more bounce and there’s added emotional complexity here lacking in the opener. Payne’s voice is full of melancholy tempered by optimism. The tempo varies some in the middle eighth, but it doesn’t add a lot overall. The performance is tastefully done despite the band’s reputation for laying things on too thick.

Goodness always abounds when Geoff Downes plays Hammond organ. “Midnight” has a lot of instrumental goodness, but the lyric isn’t particularly substantive compared to its musical values. It’s one of the album’s extended pieces, edging far outside the purview of the typical Asia track, but it pays off musically. “Blue Moon Monday” slows things down and amps up the theatrical values, but there are a number of nicely handled transitions and the songwriting manifests a variety of moods. Songs like this and “Midnight” are Silent Nation’s clearest signals Asia are stretching a little more hoping to make more of an impact. Payne’s vocals are particularly emotive here. The title song is another example of the band showing far more taste and restraint than they are typically credited for and it’s another of the album’s extended tracks, clocking in a hair over six minutes, finding the band making a concerted effort to reconnect with a strong sense of musical virtuosity. The track “Ghost in the Mirror” is pure Asia pop 101 and such songs, typically, succeed on the strength of their chorus. Judged on that basis, this is one of the album’s more successful songs in such a vein.

“Gone Too Far” finds life as a delicate duet between Payne’s vocals and the light touch of Downes’ keyboards. It’s only half the song’s half way point when the full band enters and Guthrie Govan nails a brief, but impressive, guitar solo. The unexpected vocal chorus introduced near the song’s end seems tacked on, but others might hear it as perfectly in keeping with the song. “I Will Be There for You” is a sleek and breezy AOR rock tune with an urgent pulse and sweeping pace. Asia isn’t stretching with this track, but it plays to their obvious strengths. “Darkness Day” has strong atmospheric qualities, but there’s a feeling of straining for effect. The performance benefits from Downes’ superb sense of orchestral structure, but there’s nothing truly compelling to hold listener’s interest. Silent Nation concludes with “The Prophet”. Few songs are more illustrative of the difference between the Wetton and Payne eras of the band’s history. Hearing John Wetton lend his voice to a song like this is scarcely conceivable. It does, however, make for an impressively dramatic finale even if its ultimate effects don’t linger long. The final studio release from this period in Asia’s history has its moments, but rates as solid rather than spectacular in the end.

Grade: B