2.5/5 stars

Released in February, “A Journey Too Far” is the fifth LP by Nostalgia77. The album has a distinctive big-band sound, while combining other genres such as swing and reggae, and features horns, snare and soft female vocals.

“A Journey Too Far” offers very easy listening, so much so that the music quickly becomes boring, the simple jazz reminiscent of mall music.

Exceptions to the album’s base style are “An Angel With No Halo” and “Like Dark To Light”. Both tracks offer a mystic feeling by using acoustic guitar, violin, rolling cymbal and piano. The combination of instruments, especially the guitar, is reminiscent of many video game soundtracks, particularly “The Legend of Zelda” series. These songs make the listener feel as though he is walking through an enchanted forest. “An Angel With No Halo” begins with this fantasy sound then transitions into something from a James Bond movie, with excited horns, bass guitar and harmonic vocals, before returning to fantasy at the end.

“A Journey Too Far” is worth looking into for those who enjoy smooth jazz. This is one of Nostalgia77’s more up-tempo albums and one of the more musically varied; yet for some the songs will still be too slow.

For fans of: Kinny, TM Juke and Lizzy Perks