K2: Black Garden (Magna Carta Records, CD)

The peril of creating new music in the style of a classic artist is when the material doesn't even come close to that of the original. Black Garden, the new CD from progressive rock band K2, tries so hard to emulate the sound of Peter Gabriel-led Genesis that the band actually recruited a singer from a Genesis tribute band, could've easily fallen into this trap. Fortunately, the composition here is of a consistenly high level, and the rest of the band (including Spock's Beard's brilliant keyboardist Ryo Okomuto) is highly proficient and creative. And yeah, singer Josh Gleason is a vocal ringer for early Gabriel. There's a concept to these songs – something about ancient Polynesians – but what I paid attention to (the exellent performances, sharp engineering, well-crafted melodies) is what makes this Black Garden well worth repeat visits.