CATS IN SPACE – Scarecrow

Scarecrow, the second album from Britain’s Cats In Space, has the band sounding like they left the planet around 1980 just before MTV started up and made the sort of Proggy Power Pop they play appear dated. Fans of bands like Styx, Nektar, Kansas, Asia, and Queen will be glad these Cats have returned to Earth, though, as Scarecrow is an eclectic mix of sounds reminiscent of those bands and the albums they created.

The level of musicianship is high caliber—the six members of Cats In Space are well-traveled industry vets, and their experience shows not only in the playing but the songcraft—there are some great vocal harmonies on Scarecrow, and enough variety to keep listeners who might be put off by some of the more indulgent touches.

Uptempo album opener “Jupiter Calling” is a bit of a bait and switch; it gives the impression that Cats In Space is a full-on Space Rock project, with lots of Hawkwind-esque sound effects, but it really is the only extraterrestrial experience on the album. Lead single “Mad Hatter’s Tea Party” is a good intro to the bands’ humorous side, which is further explored in the next tune “Clown in Your Nightmare”. “Scars” is a classic Prog ballad, with one of the best vocal harmonies to be found on an album stacked with solid songwriting and performances.

An enjoyable album, but you’d be well advised to turn their Metal detectors off when listening to Scarecrow … because there isn’t much “metal” to be found here.

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