The Secret (2019)
‘The Secret’ is an absolute mixed bag of a record that showcases both the strengths and weaknesses of the legendary Alan Parsons. While the album features some of Parsons' best songwriting in years, the first half of the album is weak and unfocused, and lacks the cohesiveness and consistency of his best work. It was a really disappointing first half, making the meteoric rise of the second half to be very unexpected.
The album opens with "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," a track that ultimately feels like an underwhelming start to Parsons’ almost twenty year absence. Yes, it is the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” from Disney that you are thinking of, but Parsons added his rock flair to it. If the entire album was a Parsons reimagining of Fantasia songs then this would be a stunner. But it just feels so out of place here.
The following track, "Miracle," features lead vocals by Jason Mraz, and is a disappointingly forgettable pop song that feels truly out of place on any Alan Parsons album. The record’s first half continues to meander, with “As Lights Fall" being the only beacon of light and promise. “One Note Symphony” … *sigh* … is definitely a song. It has got a really cool song build and background to it, being a song sung completely in one note. According to Parsons himself, the song “refers to the resonant frequency of the universe, which is 7.83 Hz. It’s called the Schumann Frequency. All things in life sort of resonate at that frequency…” Honestly a really cool idea, but I wish the song really grabbed you like we all want it to.
Much more underwhelming is the following song, “Sometimes”, which shows the slightest sparks of potential but ultimately falls flat and becomes forgettable.
It's not until the back half of the album that things start to pick up, with tracks like "Requiem," "Soirée Fantastique," and "I Can’t Get There From Here" displaying Parsons' songwriting and production skills at their best. These tracks feature strong vocals, memorable melodies, and emotional lyrics that touch on themes of nostalgia, regret, and the passing of time. “Requiem” has this James Bond-like cinematic jazz feel that I dare say is one of the greatest Alan Parsons songs ever. There is also something about “Soirée Fantastique” that just scratches my brain in all of the right places with its melody and chord progressions. Seriously once you get halfway through the album there are no skips and you just have to sit back and enjoy music at its best.
Overall, The Secret is a very hard to rate album. Tracks 6-11 could place this album at 4.5 stars, maybe even more .. but it’s the underwhelming start to the record that harms it. It brings me no pleasure to sink an album lower because of this, but it’s walking the 3 star-3.5 star line. The album will likely appeal most to die-hard Alan Parsons fans and if you're a fan of his work, it's worth giving ‘The Secret’ a listen to.
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Highlight Songs:
Requiem
Soirée Fantastique
As Lights Fall
I Can’t Get There From Here
Years of Glory
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Own it, Stream it, Forget about it?
As a Alan Parsons completist you should probably own this album, BUT I am going to suggest streaming it. Don’t waste your time with a couple songs on this album .. that’s 15-20+ minutes that you could save for other things. Listen to it all once, save the songs you like and then just stream the crap out of them, because the good ones are REALLY good.
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Overall Rating:
3.5 Stars
