The Tea Party - Seven Circles

[Isolde]

The Tea Party – Seven Circles
InsideOut Music – IOMCD 227 – 03.10.05
By Anna Novitzky



Fifteen years is a long haul. It’s three-twentieths of a century, four-fifths of a score, or two-and-a-bit seven-year-itches. After that much time, it’s not surprising if a band want to change their musical image. While I haven’t heard any of their previous music, it seems that that is what The Tea Party have done.

Seven Circles, their seventh studio album, delivers smooth, radio-friendly glam-rock balladry in the style of Brides of Destruction or Reef. With beefy guitars, clean but soulful vocals, and head-noddingly catchy rhythms, it’s almost sweet enough to excuse the questionable rhyming scheme (Answers/chances? Ocean/notion? Oh dear). It’s easy-going, undemanding and very, very listenable. Unfortunately, it’s also rather startlingly unoriginal.

This is a shame because, as I understand it, The Tea Party have made their name with exotic world music-rock fusion, and are known for being uncompromising. Now, never having heard it I can’t say for sure, but it does sound interesting. Hints of this remain on Seven Circles, particularly in tambourine-laden rock-out ‘Luxuria’, but it has been mostly submerged under what seems to be a drive towards commercial viability. However, what we have been given is a beautifully executed groove-out that would be welcomed from anyone without a reputation to uphold. Fans of the The Tea Party’s back catalogue may grimace and moan about selling out and falling standards, but anyone looking for stripped-down heavy rock from a band who really know what they’re doing need look no further than Seven Circles.

7/10

Official The Tea Party Website
Official InsideOut Music Website

[SoundMaster]

Good review.
I was severely disappointed when I first picked up 7 Circles when it was released. Gone (mostly) were the heavy world influences, gone was the sense of avant-garde.

However, after spending more time with it, the hooks and melodies overwhelm you (as happens with ALL Tea Party releases). I do now enjoy this record, but it doesn't come CLOSE to the greatness of the earlier, Dead Can Dance / Led Zeppelin hybrid of the mid90s.

Interested fans MUST seek out "Edges of Twilight" for a truly unique rock/metal/world/blues/Middle Eastern experience.

Awesome record.

[IOfTheStorm]

Imo this is the third best Tea Party album (Best 2: "Transmission" and "The Edges Of Twilight"). The review is utterly funny, comparing this album to the previous ones (even though the reviewer admits that he have not heard any of the previous albums), guessing that the old fans' reaction will be negative (even though this album is the reviewer's first contact with Tea Party's music, so he can't think as a fan in any case), calling the album "radio friendly glam rock" (DUH!) and not mentioning the album's primary influence: Led Zeppelin.
Fans of good hard rock music, go get that album.