Pentangle - In The Round (1986) Hi-Res

The addition of multi-instrumentalist Nigel Portman Smith in the bass chair enabled Pentangle to employ a broader, more varied instrumental palette on In the Round than on its predecessor, Open the Door. However, this more eclectic sound is also less unified than on the previous release. Bert Jansch is in excellent form on guitar, and plays some nice banjo on "Play the Game." Smith's electric piano helps make "Chase That Devil Away" one of the most overt jazz pieces in the Pentangle canon, and Mike Piggott's electric guitar is more pronounced here than in the past. In fact, there is more of a rock feel to the whole album than one would normally associate with Pentangle, but there's still plenty of material to satisfy the folkie clientele, with Jacqui McShee's vocals as beautiful and haunting as ever.